Dare to Know
by dracoredeemed
Summary: My take on the second half of DH. Harry et al are being held captive in the dungeons at Malfoy Manor. Draco brings a broken Hermione down to join them and makes an offer they can't refuse. Rated for future chs.
1. Chapter 1: Malfoy Manor

A/N: This is my take on the second half of DH. Featuring a Dom!Harry especially for Cheryl Dyson. The scene is Malfoy Manor, after Harry and Ron were thrown into the dungeon. From here on in, it is definitely not DH compliant! Oh, and Luna, Dean, Ollivander, Dobby and Griphook are OUT of the story at this point. (How could she kill off Dobby, for God's sake?! I refuse to partake in that madness!) Because I can't do plot with so many bloody characters! If I was as good as JKR I wouldn't be here, right? 

Thanks as usual to my gorgeous beta, Naesy.

Chapter 1: Malfoy Manor 

"Hermione! Hermione!" Ron pounded on the dungeon door furiously, then skirted the edges of the room, frantically searching for an escape route. An agonising scream from above made him redouble his efforts and he scrambled back to the door to wrestle furiously with the knob. Harry and Ron had been thrown down there while Bellatrix questioned Hermione about the Goblin-made sword. Her screams, which were now echoing almost continuously throughout the Manor, indicated that Bellatrix was in fine form.

"Ron, be quiet! Screaming isn't going to help her!" Harry grabbed Ron by the wrist and wrenched him away from the door. "We've got to think of a plan before someone comes back down here." Ron was panting from his effort and doubled over trying to catch his breath. Harry held up the lit Deluminator to get a better look at the ceiling of the dungeon, but couldn't see any evidence of a trap door. "There's no way out! Nothing." He looked around fearfully.

"We'll just have to escape when they open the door!" Harry looked at Ron desperately. There was nothing else for it. The Dungeon door was the only way out, and since neither of them had wands, they would have to escape using brute force.

"There's someone coming!" They froze as footsteps were heard overhead, heading towards the stairwell to the dungeon. They could hear muffled voices, and though they stilled to listen intently, it was impossible to make out what was being said. After a few moments they heard feet on the stairs, and Ron just remembered to shut off the Deluminator before the heavy wooden door swung open.

"Stand back and don't move!" A lit wand appeared as the door swung open. It was held by Draco Malfoy, who was dragging an almost unconscious Hermione in his wake. "I said stand back!"

Harry and Ron quickly stepped back against the far wall as Draco moved towards them menacingly. He flicked his wand and ropes appeared, flying out to wrap around them, before turning to drop Hermione gently on the dungeon floor. Bending over her, he moved her until her upper body was resting against the wall. Taking off his robe, he rolled it into a ball and placed it behind her head, which was half lolling on her shoulder. Her face was pale and her eyes were closed, but otherwise she looked unscathed.

"She's been Crucio'd into unconsciousness, but she'll be okay once she's had a bit of rest." Draco turned to the others, who were glaring at him suspiciously.

'What's your game, Malfoy?" Ron spat at him, his fists clenching against his rigid body. "What the fuck is going on?" Ignoring him, Draco moved back towards the door and quietly closed it, before walking over with deliberation to face them.

He stood silently for a few moments, a half-smirk on his face, before speaking "I'm going to get you out of here." Ron snorted and looked at Harry in consternation before bringing his gaze back to the man in front of them.

"Why would you do that, Malfoy?" Harry sneered at him. "Or is this some bloody trick to get in good with your stupid Dark Lord."

Draco rolled his eyes and tried to remain calm. He had expected their enmity and they weren't about to disappoint him. "You'll believe me because you have no choice in the matter." He pulled three wands out of his pocket and casually waved them in front of his prisoners. "I have your wands, and you are all tied up, so I will dictate who believes who here."

"Why the fuck would you want to save us, anyway?" Ron said carefully, though his face, which was bright red with rage, clearly showed his anger. He kept glancing down to make sure Hermione was out of harm's way.

Draco followed his gaze, then looked him in the eye. "Don't worry, I have no intention of hurting her—or any of you for that matter." He continued to flick the wands around carelessly, his lips pursed as if in thought. "As I said, I am going to get you all out of here… on one condition."

"I knew there'd be a catch!" Ron was ready to pop a vein.

"Shut-up, Ron!" Harry hissed at him. "We really are short on options here, in case you hadn't noticed." Harry looked back at Draco and raised his eyebrows. "Okay, Malfoy, just what 'conditions' are you talking about?"

Draco licked his lips and hesitated. He had a plan, but it would take careful execution to work, especially if they wouldn't cooperate. He'd been planning it for weeks, waiting for an opportunity just like this one, but now he was uncertain. There were so many unpredictables. First, the Manor wards only allowed Apparition for certain people. Second, Harry and Ron were definitely antagonistic, and he doubted he could count on their cooperation. Third, 'Bellatrix the strange' was patrolling overhead and that woman had an uncanny sixth sense for betrayal. As Draco thought about all the possible scenarios in which he could land himself, he shuddered slightly and wondered if he was doing the right thing.

Sighing deeply, he rubbed a hand over his face. "Okay, here's the deal. The wards only allow certain people to Apparate within the Manor itself. Fortunately, I am one of those people. So, I am going to Apparate you to my private quarters, from which you will be able to make your escape through a secret passage that leads to the road beyond the Manor gates. Once we have reached that point, I will return your wands and you may Apparate to wherever you wish."

"And this 'condition.' What about that? What do you want in return?" Harry was again gazing at him suspiciously.

"For God's sake, Harry, don't listen to him. He's just setting us up!" Ron struggled against the ropes that bound him and shot Draco a venomous look.

"Shut it, Ron. Let's hear what he has to say first!" Harry snapped in exasperation.

Draco looked at them measuringly, wondering how they were going to react to his 'condition.' The hand that had been playfully flicking the wands around dropped to his side, and he stepped forward, locking Harry's green eyes with his own. "You take me with you." His face was expressionless then, his soft grey eyes holding Harry's gaze expectantly, but without hope.

Harry sputtered and blinked his surprise. "Yeah, right, Malfoy! You've turned over a new leaf and want to join the side of Light!" Harry rolled his eyes at Ron before turning back to shoot Draco a disbelieving look.

"Ah, yes. I expected that reaction." Draco turned then and walked over to where Hermione was still laying unconscious against the wall. He adjusted the makeshift pillow, which had slipped a bit as she had slid down the wall, before turning back to the others. "You suspect the Dark Lord—or his Death Eaters minions—will be waiting at the road to kill you." It wasn't a question and Draco looked at Harry matter-of-factly and crossed his arms.

"How do we know we can trust you?" Harry began, before Ron angrily cut in.

"You can't trust him! Harry, don't be daft!" Ron looked incredulously from Draco to Harry, unable to believe that Harry was even contemplating going along with the plan.

"What choice do we have?" Harry was fed up, and at this point looked like he was ready to try anything. "For God's sake! We either stay here and wait for old slit-eyes to find us, or we go with Malfoy. At least with him we may have a chance!" Ron glared at him for several seconds before finally nodding in agreement and Draco sighed in relief. His plan just might have a chance after all.

"Harry is right," Ron grudgingly acquiesced, looking sideways at Harry "We don't have a choice. If we stay here we die." He looked back at Draco. "Okay. What do we have to do?"

"Well, first I want your word that you won't attack me if I release you."

Ron snarled at that, but Harry nodded. "Of course. What else?"

"You promise me your loyalty." Ron nearly choked at that, but Draco went on. "I mean you give me your word you will not betray me. You will accept me and will let me work with you—let me join you."

"It's a bit much to expect our loyalty, Malfoy!" Harry cried out indignantly. "Especially considering that up until ten minutes ago you were on the side that was ready to kill us!"

"Okay, okay, I get your point." Draco sighed and crossed his arms. "How about you don't turn me in to your Order then--for starters?"

Harry appeared to consider this for several moments before answering. "Fine. But you'll have to prove yourself to us before we trust you."

"Agreed." Malfoy moved forward and flicked his wand and the ropes disappeared, leaving the Harry and Ron rubbing their arms to ease the numbness.

"What about Hermione?" Ron hurried over to where she lay slouched on the floor. "She's still unconscious."

Draco leaned over Hermione and brushed her hair back from her eyes. He pointed his wand at her forehead and whispered, "Enervate." Her eyelashes fluttered a few times before her eyes opened and she looked around at them, dazed.

Ron dropped down beside her and put his arms gently around her. "'Mione, are you okay?"

She suddenly came to her senses. "Oh, Ron!" She buried her head in his shoulder and began to sob. Ron held her and stroked her back, allowing her to let it all out.

"Shhhh. S'okay." He warmly embraced her and she sank into his arms.

Suddenly she looked up and saw Draco peering down at her, wand in hand. She shrunk away instinctively and Ron placed a kiss on her forehead to reassure her.

"S'okay. He's going to help us" She looked exhausted and confused, but seemed happy to let Ron take control of her.

Ron turned to Harry and nodded. "She's okay. Let's get out of here before they send someone else down."

Harry nodded and looked at Draco, who grabbed Harry's arm, then Ron's sleeve, before turning on the spot. The world condensed into darkness and they were squeezed through space. When they opened their eyes they were in an opulent bedroom.

Draco let go immediately and walked to the window. "We haven't got much time before they get suspicious." He looked quickly around the grounds and then moved over to the bedroom door to peer out warily. Satisfied that they hadn't been detected, he turned back and hurriedly moved toward the huge wardrobe that sat against the far wall.

"This way." He opened the door and led them through the racks of clothes until they reached a trap door, which Draco tapped three times with his wand, causing it to slide open. They followed him through the door and down a rickety staircase that wound steeply down and around in a tight spiral. When they reached the bottom, Draco muttered a spell and another door appeared in the wall. Moving through the entrance he led them along a long tunnel lined with stone until eventually their passage began to ascend again and they found themselves facing a heavy, steel framed, wooden door.

Draco turned then to regard his companions seriously. "This is the entrance to the road. We can't be sure it's safe. They may be after us already."

"What about Disillusionment charms?" Harry asked, looking around the group.

"Good idea." Draco nodded and cast a Disillusionment charm over himself and the others before carefully drawing the bolt and opening the door. As they stepped out, huddled together for protection, Draco wondered wryly how his parents would react when they found him gone. Undoubtedly, his father would have a fit, but he thought his mother would be secretly relieved. There would be no doubt that he had betrayed them and he grit his teeth as he contemplated the exponential implications of his decision. But it was too late for regrets, and so he moved forward to accept his fate. What that fate held only Merlin knew, but Draco felt certain he had cast his lot for the good.


	2. Chapter 2: A Beautiful Mind

Chapter 2: A Beautiful Mind 

Peter Pettigrew was aghast as he stood gazing around the empty dungeon. Oh, this was bad, very bad indeed. He quaked with fear as he thought of the wrath of the Dark Lord when he found out young Malfoy had betrayed them all, and was nearly sick. A wave of dizziness swept over him as he contemplated his fate and he swayed unsteadily, reaching out to lean against the wall for support. Surely being the one to find them gone was almost as bad as letting them get away. The Dark Lord would blame him and make him suffer untold tortures. It was not as if it was the first time, he reminded himself as he slid down the wall to sit on the floor. Whatever his punishment, it couldn't be any worse than cutting off his own hand. He looked at the silvery hand lying against his thigh and shuddered at the memory. He would survive; all he had to do was survive.

Slowly pulling himself together, he stood up, still a bit unsteady on his feet. Momentarily he contemplated running away—he could easily sneak out of the grounds and Apparate to Wales or Scotland to hide out. He had time. They had sent him to check on young Malfoy but then he was supposed to go to the library to pick up Lucius' travelling case. He looked at his pocket watch and saw that he had at least another five minutes or so until they would expect him back. Then he heard voices overhead and knew he was doomed.

He quickly made his way to the entrance as he heard footsteps on the stairs. When he walked through the doorway he was immediately faced with a very annoyed Bellatrix. "T-they've gone! Disappeared!" He cowered before her and she shoved him aside as she stormed into the dungeon to look for herself. "I swear they were gone when I got down here!" Pettigrew wrung his hands pleadingly.

"What on earth is going on down there?" a low voice drawled from above. Pettigrew turned and his face paled as Lucius appeared at the top of the stairs. "Bella?" he stopped when he saw Pettigrew and furrowed his brow as Bellatrix stormed back out the door.

"They've gone! Draco must have helped them escape." She turned an accusing eye on Lucius, whose face turned ashen. "Your _son_!" she spat at him, as he flew down the steps, brushing past her and slamming the dungeon door against the wall.

"Draco?" He stopped when he realised she was telling the truth. His face was stony when he turned back to face his sister-in-law. "It appears you are correct. They have gone. I doubt that my son would have helped them escape, however. No doubt they kidnapped him to use as a hostage." Pointing his silver cane at Pettigrew's neck, he lifted the other man's chin and growled menacingly. "What happened, Wormtail?"

"I-I don't k-know, Lucius! I swear!" The elder Malfoy stared at him a moment before dropping his cane. Pettigrew collapsed at his feet and began to plead pathetically. "Please…. It wasn't my fault. They were already gone when I opened the door. Please… d-don't hurt me! Have mercy!"

"You'll have no need of my mercy, you blithering heap of garbage," Lucius drawled back at him. "I am sure the Dark Lord will be more than happy to accept your… apologies." He turned on his heel and walked back up the stairs. "You can wait for him in the library, I think. I am sure he'll want to give you his _full_ attention when he arrives."

Bellatrix laughed darkly before poking him with her wand. "Get up, you disgusting creature!" Reluctantly Pettigrew lurched to his feet and made his way up the stairs with Bellatrix's wand at his back. "You will pay for this!"

When they reached the top of the stairs, however, they found Lucius waiting for them at the top. " I think I know a way for Wormtail to make up for his… error." His eyes narrowed and he looked down his nose at the smaller man, whose own eyes were red and puffy as he sniffed noisily, wiping his nose with the back of his hand. Lucius' lip curled in disgust. "I think you should go after them. Find them, Wormtail, and bring them back here. Before the Dark Lord returns."

Bellatrix sneered at Lucius. "He's too stupid to find them! We have no idea where they've gone!"

Lucius merely looked at her, replying in a bored tone. "Oh, I think we may have some idea. Follow me." He turned towards the staircase leading up to the first floor and the others followed, Bellatrix still holding her wand at Pettigrew's back.

When they reached the first floor landing, the elder Malfoy turned right and they followed him down the hallway of the North Wing, stopping halfway down at a heavily ornate double door. Clasping one of the knobs he gently turned it and opened the door a fraction to peer inside. The room was empty, so he pulled the door wide open and marched across the carpet to the wardrobe on the far wall.

"Draco's secret escape route from the Manor," he said in explanation as he opened one of the doors, to reveal racks of clothes and shoes. Noting that the contents appeared to be somewhat uncharacteristically dishevelled, he moved past them to the back wall and lit his wand. Bellatrix remained by the door, peering after him, and he called back to her with some smugness. "They've been here. The trapdoor has been opened recently!" Making his way back out through the clothes, he stepped out into the room again and carefully brushed back his hair.

"Where does the passage lead to?' Bellatrix asked, still peering inside the wardrobe as if looking for clues.

"To the gate by the west entrance. They can't have gone far." He turned to Pettigrew then. "You need to go after them, Wormtail. Bring them back!" Bellatrix stepped back quickly as he shoved the other man into the wardrobe. Pettigrew pulled out his wand and quickly dove into its depths as Lucius added threateningly, "And don't you dare hurt my son! Or you will pay dearly."

-----------------------

Draco looked around cautiously as they made their way out of the underbrush. They had come out of the tunnel by the west gate, which was quite secluded from the road, serving merely as an entryway to gardeners and other servants. As he peered around him in the early the morning light, the others moved up behind him, Harry coming to stand by his side.

"Where are we?" Harry looked around hesitantly. "Are we safe here?"

"Yes, this is just a servants' entrance and it's far too early for them to be around." Draco suddenly pulled out his wand as he heard a rustle in the bushes, but it was only a rabbit. "We're west of the Manor. No one knows about that tunnel so we should be safe for awhile." He turned to face them and dropped the hand holding his wand to his side. "I suggest we get out of here as soon as possible, however."

"He can't come with us, Harry!" Ron sneered at Draco before looking to Hermione for support. "I don't trust him. Not a bit!"

"He helped us escape, didn't he?" Hermione looked over at Harry and shrugged. "But, I agree to a point. How do we know we can trust him?"

Draco looked at them impassively as they discussed the merits of trusting him, trying not to get annoyed. If they didn't get away from the Manor soon, his father would be sure to track them down. Time was therefore of the essence and he needed to find a way to prove to them that he was serious. After awhile he realised he had several options, the strongest of which was to offer to undergo questioning under Veritaserum. But it would be difficult to access the potion—he would have to go back to the Manor to steal some. He mentally kicked himself for not thinking to grab his emergency potions kit and deliberated his other options. He could give them his wand, which he really wanted to avoid, given the imminent danger they were in, or he could make an Unbreakable Vow. Quickly making his decision, he stepped forward to interrupt.

"I can understand why you don't trust me," he began, "but I assure you I am being completely honest." Ron sneered and was about to retort, when Draco held his hand up. "Please let me finish. I assume you don't have any Veritaserum, so I would like to offer to make an Unbreakable Vow." The others stared at him in shock. Such a Vow could only be broken by death.

Hermione was the first to speak. "Are you sure, Malfoy? Do you even know what is involved in making an Unbreakable Vow?" she asked him seriously.

He barely resisted the urge to roll his eyes at that. "Of course I do. And I am willing to do it if it will make you trust me."

"The fact that you're even willing to make the Vow makes me want to believe you." Harry stepped forward and looked into his eyes, trying to gauge his sincerity. Draco gazed back coolly, his look belying the small flame of hope beginning to rise within him.

He searched Harry's eyes for long moments, trying to decipher what lay behind. The other man's eyes bore into him and he felt himself being searched soul-deep. He wondered if Harry was a Legilimens and shivered slightly at the thought, but then found himself dropping all his mental barriers one by one, to allow the other to search his innermost secrets. Locked in the gaze of those deep green eyes he drifted into his thoughts, feeling a presence that was at once gentle yet relentless move lightly but swiftly through his mind, scattering his thoughts on the soft breeze that floated in its wake. He felt tranquil, elated almost, as the presence glowed and seemed to spread out within him. He welcomed its presence and it acknowledged his acceptance, gently glowing the colour of the rising sun before disappearing with a sigh.

"I don't think we'll be requiring the Unbreakable Vow." Draco was jolted back to the present as Harry drew away from his gaze and turned to speak to the others. "He's telling the truth." Draco looked over at Ron and Hermione, who glanced at each other knowingly before nodding at Harry.

"Good. We really need to get out of here," Ron looked relieved and turned to Hermione. "Where to Hermione?"

She appeared to think for a few seconds until Ron cut in. "I know! What about Shell Cottage? It's protected by a Fidelius Charm, but I am the Secret Keeper." He looked questioningly around at the others.

"Fine with me." Harry nodded and turned to Hermione, who merely shrugged.

"It's as good a place as any," she replied before turning to Draco. "Bill and Fleur live at Shell Cottage." Draco blanched at the mention of Ron's older brother. He had been directly responsible for Fenrir Greyback entering Hogwarts last year, one of the results of which was permanent disfigurement to Bill's face.

Hermione frowned at him, before suddenly realised his predicament. "Greyback's attack on Bill," she breathed, looking around at Harry and Ron. "He's never going to let Malfoy anywhere near the place!"

Ron groaned, then sneered as he remembered Bill's torn and bloody face as he recuperated in the Hogwort's infirmary. "That's right! You bloody arse! You're responsible for Bill's face. I don't know how you can dare to even come near--"

"Ron, it's ancient history. Malfoy has paid for his sins and now wants to make up for it!" Harry stared Ron down as the other boy huffed in rage. "Besides, you're the Secret Keeper. If you let him in, Bill won't have a choice. We'll just have to deal with it when we get there."

Hermione stepped forward then. "I agree with Harry. We just need to get out of here before we're followed." Ron looked resigned but continued to cast nasty looks towards Draco, who felt sick at the thought of meeting Bill face-to-face. He had spent a lot of time going over his past deeds, especially those involving Dumbledore's death, and he was yet to come to terms with his immense guilt. Changing sides had gone some way to alleviating the pain, but there was still a long way to go.

He knew he should say something, but his mind was blank. Finally, he spoke. "Weasley, I-I'm sorry. I know it means nothing to you, but…"

Ron cut him off. "Tell that to Bill," he sneered and turned back to Hermione, who had flicked her wand to conjure some parchment and a quill. Draco rubbed his eyes tiredly. This was going to be a very long day.

"Ron, you'll have to write down the address for us." Ron grabbed the parchment and quickly wrote down the address, which the others passed between them, memorising it. When they were done Hermione cast a quick Incendio, causing the parchment to erupt into flames, the blackened remains of which fluttered to the ground in a wisp of black smoke.

"Ready?" Ron asked, looking around as the others nodded. Grabbing Harry's and Draco's arms, and with Hermione hanging onto his elbow, he turned on the spot and they Disapparated, landing a few moments later on the front path of Shell Cottage.

Bill spotted them through the kitchen window and ran out to greet them. "What on earth are you lot doing here?" He backed up when he saw Draco and looked around at them, brows furrowed. "You've taken a prisoner?"

"No, no," Harry reassured him, "Malfoy has switched sides. He helped us escape." Bill shot him an unbelieving look, which Harry ignored. "He's staying with us for the time being." Bill was staring at Draco with malice in his eyes, but Draco remained calm, his eyes cast down, afraid to look the other man in the face.

"I hope you don't mind us just showing up like this," Hermione looked very uncomfortable. "We, er… we were attacked and taken to the dungeons at Malfoy Manor. Malfoy here saved us."

"Bellatrix Crucio'd Hermione until she was unconscious." Ron moved to put his arm around her, before looking back at Bill. His older brother was still staring coldly at Draco, but turned back to Hermione at Ron's words.

Walking over to her, he put his hand on her shoulder and looked at her worriedly. "How do you feel, Hermione? Come on, let's get you inside." He gently gripped her elbow and led her to the house, as the others followed. Draco's shoulders sagged with relief. It wouldn't be easy and he knew he would have to deal with his guilt at some stage, but he was momentarily relieved that Bill was at least allowing him into his house.

Bill led them into a small but cosy living room and bade them sit down. "Fleur will be so glad to see you. She'll be in soon. She's just gathering herbs in the back garden." He sat down in an armchair by the fireplace and crossed his legs. "So, what happened?"

As they explained how they had been captured by Fenrir Greyback and hauled off to Malfoy Manor, and the events that followed, Bill's eyes grew wide and he sat forward in alarm. "Oh my God, it's a wonder you escaped at all! You were nearly killed!"

"Malfoy can take the credit for preventing that nasty little scenario." Harry looked over at Draco with appreciation in his eyes. "Without his help we'd still be rotting in that dungeon, waiting for Voldemort to come and kill us." Draco looked at the floor, his face flushed slightly in embarrassment. He'd never been the object of Potter's thanks or his appreciation, and he liked it. Harry leaned across the couch they were sharing and put his hand on Draco's leg. "Really, Malfoy, we owe you our lives. Thanks." When Draco looked up, the other man was smiling at him, and his eyes promised a much longer conversation—later--about just _why_ Draco had done that. Draco shifted nervously. He wasn't sure he wanted to impart that piece of information just yet.

Recovering himself, he shrugged again. "Just because my father is a Death Eater, doesn't mean I have to be."

Fleur entered then, exclaiming her joy at the top of her voice. 'Oh, mes amies! Eet ees soo wonderful to see you!" She hugged them each in turn, but stopped when she reached Draco. "I am afraid I 'ave not 'ad the pleasure of making this young man's aquaintance." She held out her hand and Draco stood and took it.

"Draco Malfoy, Madame. Very pleased to meet you." He bent and kissed her hand and she fluttered her eyelashes in pleasure at the gesture. "Well, well, per'aps you boys could learn a leetle som'sing from this handsome young man!" She looked over at Ron and Harry, amusement playing around the edges of her face.

"Gerroff, who do you think we are?" Ron guffawed, before Hermione nudged him sharply in the ribs. "I agree, Fleur. I would be very nice to be shown some courtesy occasionally." She flipped her hair back imperiously and stood up from her chair. "Can I help you with the tea?" she asked, following Fleur into the kitchen.

Ron rolled his eyes. "Thanks, Malfoy! Bloody hell, as if I don't cop it enough already!"

Draco smirked slightly but held his tongue, contenting himself with sitting back and enjoying his moment of one-upmanship. If nothing else, his pureblood upbringing had taught him impeccable manners, which were always a hit with the ladies.

Harry just laughed at the look on Ron's face and shook his head. "Give up now, mate. It's a losing battle." He looked sideways at Draco and winked, an action that was strangely intimate, Draco thought.

Bill sighed and got up. "I better go help too. Ron, why don't you come along and make yourself useful, get up a few brownie points, eh?" Ron groaned at that, but got up anyway and followed Bill out of the room.

Draco stood up after Bill made his exit and walked over to the window to admire the garden. Although it was only early Spring, the garden beds were awash with myriad colours as tiny buds strove to lift their heads to the sun, surrounded by the lush green foliage of a country garden in early bloom. He sighed as he remembered the rose garden at the Manor, realising that it would be a long time, if ever, before he would admire their beauty again. He started when he felt a warm hand on his shoulder, and turned to find Harry standing behind him.

"Malfoy," he began awkwardly, shifting his feet. "I know you were telling the truth, that you really do want to switch sides…." He looked out at the garden then, avoiding Draco's eyes. "I performed Legilimancy on you—"

"I know," Draco cut in, "I felt you." He looked at Harry, who continued to look out at the garden.

"What I don't understand…." He did look directly at Draco then, "Is why?"

Draco felt himself blush and looked quickly away. If Harry had seen into his mind, how could he not have picked up that tiny detail? He certainly wasn't about to explain it, so he improvised. "I realised that my father was wrong, that the Dark Lord was a bigoted, crazy lunatic bent on killing off half the wizarding world." He glanced quickly at Harry before moving over to the fireplace. "I couldn't live with being a part of that."

"Why didn't you approach us sooner?" Harry furrowed his brows and scratched his neck.

"Like you would have welcomed me with open arms!" Draco snorted in response. Honestly, as if Harry would have even listened to him!

Harry hung his head, nodding slightly. "You're right, of course. We wouldn't have." He looked up then, his eyes questioning. "But there was something else. Something I couldn't quite pin down when I was wading through your mind." He flushed slightly as if embarrassed by his intrusion into Draco's thoughts, and Draco thought he saw a hint of hope in the other boy's eyes. He remained silent, though, as Harry continued to elaborate. "I-I… thought I saw…. " He turned away then, and looked back out the window.

"What did you see, Harry?" Harry turned sharply at the sound of his given name to find Draco looking at him steadily.

"I saw…." Harry swallowed deeply before continuing. "I-I'm not sure… but I think I saw…." He sighed and closed his eyes. "It was… I saw…." Swallowing again, he opened his eyes and looked Draco directly in the eye. "Love. I saw love." He turned away then, and Draco shuddered as he felt himself completely exposed. Exposed and vulnerable. The Dark Lord could take him now for all he cared, because the earth was going to swallow him up anyway. He closed his eyes and wished for immediate, painless death.

After a few endless moments, Draco opened his eyes to see Harry still looking out the window. He opened his mouth to say something but nothing came out. He took a step forward, not sure what he was doing. Then suddenly the kitchen door swung open and Fleur entered with a tray of scones and jam, followed by Hermione and Ron with the tea.

"'ere we are! Lots of fresh tea to 'elp you recover!" Fleur exclaimed, placing the tray on the coffee table, and Draco turned away and tried to regather his composure.

9


	3. Chapter 3: Shell Cottage

**Chapter 3: Shell Cottage**

Draco walked into the living room to find Harry huddled together with Ron and Hermione by the bay window. When they saw him they stopped talking and Draco rolled his eyes in disgust. This had been going on for several days now and he was getting well and truly fed up by it. He knew from Snape that they were searching for Horcruxes and he wanted to help, but the trio were being very closed-mouth about their quest.

He had confided in Snape several months ago when he had begun to question his loyalties, and the older man, who had turned out to be a spy for the Order, had done much to assist him on his personal journey of self-awareness. Though it had taken him many weeks to admit that he wanted to switch sides and even longer to admit why, he had eventually come to accept his new fate and Snape had confided in him that he was a spy for the Order and also about the trio's search for the last remaining pieces of Voldemort's soul. Now all he had to do was convince the others to let him help. Sighing heavily, he picked up a copy of the Prophet from a side table and settled into an armchair, resigning himself to further rejection.

Hermione stood up and Draco could see her regarding him out of the corner of his eye. Finally she turned to the others. "I'm going to make some tea."

"I'll help," Ron replied quickly, moving to follow her as she walked out towards the kitchen.

Draco put the paper down on his lap and let his head fall back against the chair. "You know, you don't have to be all secretive," he said finally, looking over to where Harry sat, rifling through some parchment. The other boy looked up and frowned at him as he continued, "I know about the Horcruxes."

Harry's brows shot up and he stood up then, walking over to stand in front of Draco. "How do you know about those? Who told you?" He crossed his arms and stared down at Draco expectantly.

"Professor Snape," was all Draco said in reply. He looked at Harry measuringly, trying to gauge how much to tell the other boy about what he knew.

"What would he know about the Horcruxes?" Harry moved slightly backwards to sit on the edge of the coffee table, his elbows resting on his knees as he leaned forward, frowning.

"He said they are objects that hold pieces of the Dark Lord's—sorry, You-Know-Who's--soul and that you've already found most of them. I also know you suspect that two of the remaining ones are relics of the Founders." Draco's face watched carefully for Harry's reaction, but the other boy's face was closed, so he continued. "I have some ideas about where those two might be found. But I can't help you if you continue to shut me out of your little discussions."

Harry sighed, closing his eyes for a moment as he pulled off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose with a frown. "Look, Malfoy. I know you're telling the truth about your allegiance, but I'm having a hard time convincing Ron and Hermione to let you in on our quest."

"It's Draco." Harry looked up sharply, then nodded shortly as Draco continued. "And you've seen inside my mind, Harry. What more proof do they need?"

"I know, and I have argued your case constantly over the past few days, trust me." Harry cheeks were slightly pink and Draco felt warmed that the other boy would defend him to his friends. "Look, I'm sure they'll come around, but it might take some time. Meanwhile, why don't you tell me your ideas about the whereabouts of the Horcruxes."

Ron burst through the door but stopped short at Harry's words. "He knows about the Horcruxes?" The redhead looked from Harry to Draco, his eyes wide, then he frowned. "You told him, Harry? I thought we hadn't decided yet…."

"He already knew. Snape told him."

"What? How did he know?" Ron stood thinking over this new development, looking around as Hermione entered the room with the tea.

She looked around, frowning. "What's going on?" She put the tray down on the coffee table and Harry got up to move to the other armchair.

"Malfoy—sorry, Draco—" he shot an apologetic look at Draco before continuing, "knows about the Horcruxes," Harry replied. Ron gave Harry a look, and Hermione was regarding Draco with not a little consternation. "Snape told him. Dumbledore must have told Snape about them last year." Harry heaved a sigh as he leaned back into the chair.

Tired of being talked about yet again as if he wasn't there, Draco sat forward and cleared his throat to get their attention. "I have been talking to Snape about changing sides for months. I know he's a spy for the Order. I want to help."

"You mean, he used to be a spy! The man killed Dumbledore for God's sake!" Ron shot back angrily. "There's no way he's getting back into the Order now."

Draco was confused, so he looked over at Harry, who was frowning. "Dumbledore and Snape had a pact," Draco continued. "Dumbledore was dying anyway, and had asked Snape to do it." They all looked shocked at that point and Ron's mouth was agape in bewilderment. "Y-you… you didn't know?" Draco blanched at that point and blinked several times before rubbing his eyes tiredly. "Look, you can perform Legilimency on me again if you don't believe me."

He looked at each of them in turn, daring them to challenge him yet again. Finally, Harry stood up. "I trust him," said Harry, before turning to Ron and Hermione. "He's been telling the truth so far. Why would he lie about something so important? Besides, whether or not Snape had a pact has nothing to do with the Horcruxes."

"Fine," Ron replied shortly. "I'll trust him, but I don't have to like him."

Hermione shot Ron a look and he quickly closed his mouth. "Okay, Harry," she said, sitting down on the edge of the couch with her tea. "We'll give him a chance. But he's your responsibility."

Draco shook his head slightly and barely refrained from rolling his eyes. "I assure you, you have nothing to worry about." He got up and poured himself some tea before sitting back and regarding them calmly. "And I have some ideas you might be interested in."

"Do you know where the Horcruxes are?" Hermione asked politely, obviously trying her best to be amenable.

They settled down into a convivial discussion then as Draco aired his views about possible locations. Bill had gone to work and Fleur was over at The Burrow, so they had the house to themselves for the day. It was the perfect opportunity to make plans. The trio had already suspected that Helga Hufflepuff's cup was located in the Lestrange's vault at Gringotts, and Draco corroborated their suspicion, having overheard his aunt discussing the cup and Gryffindor's sword on several occasions. They'd had no idea about how to gain access to the vault, though, and Draco was again forthcoming with a plan of action.

"Bellatrix is my aunt. I can get in easily." He sipped his tea not a little smugly. The others stared at him in astonishment. He shrugged at their response. "My father won't have reported my disappearance. He'll be looking for me. But he won't be looking at Gringotts—at least, not until after I've been there and he finds out."

Hermione appeared to be considering his suggestion. "But even if she is family, why would they let you in? I've heard their vault has very strong security."

"And how would the rest of us get in?" Harry added. "I can go under the invisibility cloak but what about Ron and Hermione?"

"To answer the first question, we forge a letter of entry. I am well enough known at Gringotts and I've been sent to collect items from the Lestrange vault before. No one should be the wiser." Draco continued to sip his tea as the others took in this information.

"So, I go under the Invisibility Cloak, that's easy enough." Harry looked at the others, who nodded. "Ron and Hermione could disguise themselves, I suppose, but what excuse would you have for bringing visitors?'

"Do you think it wise to bring too many people?" Draco replied. "How will we all fit into the cart. It's a long way down to their vault."

Hermione lifted herself up from the couch and helped herself to biscuits. "Maybe we should act as lookouts. You know, stay on the surface and make sure no one follows or suspects."

Draco and Harry both nodded at this, but Ron looked mutinous. "What? And leave Harry alone with Malfoy? Are you crazy, Hermione?" He looked over at Harry incredulously. 'You can't be serious?"

"Oh, for God's sake Ron, we've discussed this time and again. Let it go, alright?" Harry glowered at him in exasperation as he put his empty tea-cup on the table. "Malfoy—Draco--and I will be fine. You can only fit two besides the goblin in the cart anyway. You two can stake out the entrance to Gringotts and warn us if Malfoy senior or any other Death Eaters show up."

"Good idea," Draco concurred. "It would look suspicious if I took visitors, anyway. I'm on an errand to a high security vault, after all. Everyone at Gringotts knows how particular my aunt is."

They debated the finer points of their plan until the early evening when Bill and Fleur returned. It had been decided that Ron and Hermione would cast Disillusionment charms on themselves and one would wait outside Gringotts to watch for Death Eater activity, while the other would survey the main interior of the bank. Hermione had come up with the brilliant idea of using the DA coins to communicate should something go wrong, and they continued to work on various contingency plans after dinner in Hermione's room. When they had finally planned as much as they could, Hermione went away to charm the coins while the others worked on forging the entry parchment.

"When do we do this?" Draco asked, finally satisfied that he had replicated his aunt's signature. He'd had to use a somewhat Dark spell he had learned from his father, as the tellers at Gringotts were very exacting in their identification processes. The spell was strengthened by the addition of a magical moniker obtained from a strand of his aunt's hair Draco had found on his robes.

"Tomorrow," Harry answered with conviction. The others looked at him, wide-eyed.

"B-But, we're not nearly prepared enough!" Ron sputtered.

Draco looked pensively down at his lap for a few moments before deciding Harry was perhaps right. "I guess the sooner we do this the better. The longer we wait, the more room we give You Know Who to find us."

Ron looked doubtful, but eventually concurred. When Hermione returned, she also agreed with them and set about transfiguring some clothes for Draco to wear on his mission. He'd come to Shell Cottage with only the clothes on his back and his wand, and Hermione had been transfiguring Harry's clothes to fit him since they arrived.

"You'll have to dress as would be expected," Hermione looked at Draco enquiringly and he thought for a moment before answering.

"We always wear formal day robes for trips to Diagon Alley and Gringotts." He smiled wryly. "Mostly black of course, and always impeccably tailored."

Hermione cocked her head and appeared to size him up. "Probably best to transfigure the robes you arrived in, then." Draco nodded and walked out the room to retrieve his freshly laundered robes from his bedroom. He sighed resignedly when he pulled them out of the wardrobe. He'd been wearing Harry's jeans and sweaters—expertly refitted to his size--for several days and had grown accustomed to the comfort. He'd never worn Muggle clothes before and was surprised at how easily he'd gotten used to them. When he returned a few minutes later, he handed the robes to Hermione, who held them up to look at them more closely.

"So, what do formal day robes look like?" Hermione, being Muggle-born, had little experience with such things.

"Well, I'm of age now, so I would wear something along the same lines as my father. Long coat, buttoned up to the neck in silver, wizard trousers and back silk shirt under." Hermione screwed up her face in concentration as she cast the spells to transfigure his casual robes into elegant day robes. Eventually she was satisfied, also transforming his shoes into highly polished black boots for the occasion. She sent Draco off to try them on.

When he returned they all gasped. He looked like a younger version of his father, but much more handsome and with shorter hair. "Oh, my! You could be a young Lucius!" Hermione exclaimed and Draco grinned ruefully. He may not want to be like his father but his appearance he couldn't help. He turned to Harry, whose mouth had dropped open in amazement. Draco had matured significantly over the last summer and was as tall and broad as his father, but with more finely chiselled features. He filled out the elegant day robes nicely and couldn't help but bask a little in their appreciation of his appearance.

"So, I suppose I look impressive enough?" he enquired rhetorically.

"Oh, I think you'll do." Hermione smiled shyly at him, the look on her face shamelessly covetous. Draco nearly gagged to himself, but managed to smile politely instead. Ron actually did gag at her look, before sneering at Draco threateningly.

"Yeah, er… You do look very impressive." Harry was looking at him curiously, as if he'd never seen him before and Draco realised that the other boy had never seen him out of school robes, except for the casual robes he'd been wearing on the day of their escape.

Draco gave him a quick nod, then smirked slightly. "High praise from the Boy Who Lived, I'm sure." Harry's face coloured a little and he looked back at the parchment, which had been set aside to dry. Draco warmed inwardly when, out of the corner of his eye, he saw the other boy sneak several more glances as Draco pretended to brush non-existent lint from his sleeve.

"Well, we all ought to be getting off to bed, I suppose." Harry cleared his throat as he got up and moved to the bedroom the three boys shared across the hall. He and Draco were in the two single beds and Ron slept in a cot that had been set up under the window. It was fairly cramped, but they didn't mind because at least it was safe there. The others soon followed and it wasn't long before they were all tucked in, though Draco knew he would get very little sleep that night.

As he lay on his back, listening to the soft breathing of his room-mates, he contemplated the stroke of providence that had led him to this point. Certainly he had been waiting for just such a chance for several months now, but he really hadn't thought fate would honour his wishes so easily. He wondered if his father was more worried or relieved that he had made his escape, though it had occurred to him that the older man might think the trio had kidnapped him and taken him as hostage.

He had spoken to his father about his fears and Lucius had listened attentively and with grave concern. He'd told Draco of his own fears—that the Dark Lord had become mentally unstable, that his goals were no longer about being a pureblood, having more to do with revenge against Harry than anything else. Draco had questioned his father about the possibility of going into hiding, of getting away from their megalomaniacal leader, but Lucius had just sighed and put his hand on Draco's shoulder, explaining that allegiance to the Dark Lord is allegiance for life. One either is with him, or against him. Lucius himself had burnt too many bridges to change sides at that point, and even if he did change to the Light, he would be as good as dead, for the Dark Lord did not take kindly to traitors. Draco blanched at that last thought, for if anyone was a traitor, it was he, at least as far as the Dark Lord was concerned. He could only hope his father would cover his tracks for as long as possible.

A moaning sound from his left made Draco sit up and peer through the semi-dark at Harry's bed. Harry moaned a lot in his sleep and Draco wondered if the other boy's dreams were full of dark, fearful things, as Draco's own sometimes were. He stared more intently across at Harry as his moans became louder and almost got out of bed to check on him. Harry was thrashing slightly in his sleep and Draco's heart went out to him in sympathy. Theirs was a lost childhood that could never be reclaimed and they were all tainted by an insidious Darkness that seemed to leak in and around every corner of their lives. The inescapable Darkness. Insidious because it was more soul-destroying than a Dementer's Kiss, more mind-numbing than one hundred Imperius Curses, and more omniscient than the strongest Legilimens. Draco shuddered as he felt the cool hand of Darkness steel across his consciousness, calling him to its depths. He closed his eyes and pictured the Light beaming down on him, and the Darkness slowly disappeared.

He opened his eyes to find that Harry had quietened. Draco lay back against his pillow and tried to think of a future without Darkness. Whatever that future was, wherever it might lead him, he knew one thing. The future could only become worth saving, worth living, through Harry, and as Draco drifted into sleep, he sighed in contentment, knowing finally he was doing the right thing.


	4. Chapter 4: Pieces of Ash

**Chapter 4: Pieces of Ash**

Finally reaching the end of the tunnel, Pettigrew stopped for a moment to catch his breath. He leaned over and gasped deeply in an attempt to quell the stitch in his side. The tunnel had been long and winding and this was the second time he had made the trip in three days. He was all but exhausted from the effort. The first time he'd gone down the tunnel was when Lucius had forced him through the trapdoor to chase after the young escapees. He hadn't been successful, though, and had returned to a furious Bellatrix and the more menacingly quiet disgust of Lucius.

When the Dark Lord had finally arrived at the Manor, his wrath was a fearful sight, and Pettigrew had been forced to suffer the Cruciatus Curse until he screamed for mercy. Finally, the Dark Lord had regarded him with loathing and had him thrown in the dungeon. He had rotted there for almost three days with barely any food or drink, and by the third day he'd believed he was doomed. His fear abated somewhat, however, when, early on the third morning, Lucius himself had come down with a bowl of food. Pettigrew grovelled thankfully at his feet before taking the bowl and tipping its contents greedily into his mouth.

Lucius observed his behaviour with distaste, looking away at the manacles on the wall as he spoke. "Wormtail, my son still has not been found."

"I'm sorry! Please don't hurt me any more," Pettigrew begged in between mouthfuls, food slopping messily over his chin.

Lucius wrinkled his nose and continued. "I want my son. Now." He turned back to look at the smaller man, who quaked under his gaze. "I want you to track them down and bring them back."

Pettigrew began to tremble violently then. "But there was no trace! It could take weeks!"

Lucius held up a hand to cut him off. "You have one week. If you do not find them in that time, I will personally see to it that you suffer the consequences." He threw down a wand at Pettigrew's feet before sweeping out of the dungeon, leaving the door open and Pettigrew whimpering in a heap on the floor. As Lucius' steps faded into the distance, he picked up his wand and placed it carefully in his pocket as he contemplated the task he had been given.

He had no doubt that the young escapees had long since gone into hiding again. Deliberating over his options, he thought he might try the Weasley place first, although he doubted they would head to such an obvious target. Most likely they had Apparated to an unplottable location somewhere and he would have no hope of finding them at all. When no other options seemed immediately plausible, he decided it might be best to retrace his steps down the tunnel to the point where they'd escaped. Hopefully he would find some clues this time. He had to admit that he hadn't looked very closely at the area on his first visit, distracted as he was by his trepidation at what would happen when Lucius learned of his failure to capture them.

After finishing off his food, he made his way up the dungeon stairs and moved quietly toward the main staircase, which he climbed quickly before heading down the North Wing hallway to young Malfoy's bedroom. Climbing through the trap door at the back of the wardrobe, he once again made his way down the tunnel to the heavy door at the end. The path beyond the tunnel door was empty of course. It was early and the gardeners wouldn't be starting for some time yet. Pulling the door wide open, he stepped out, wand at the ready. A scan of the surrounding area revealed no movement, so he walked out into the clearing. Wearily, he paced along the western perimeter of the Manor's stone fence, wondering what he should be looking for. Scanning the area, it looked much as it had on his prior journey—a grassy knoll with a path beaten through it that led to and beyond the surrounding copse of trees that shielded the Manor from the world of Muggles on the other side.

Resigning himself to returning empty-handed yet again, he turned back towards the tunnel door and made his way slowly across the still-dewy grass. He had almost reached the door when his attention was caught by a wisp of ash floating over the ground in the light morning breeze. Frowning, he moved towards it, noticing as he got closer that there were several charred pieces of parchment lying on the ground next to a used quill. Curious, he picked up one of the pieces and held it up to the light. It was charred almost black but there was the hint of some writing on a small section near the edge. Leaning over, he scanned the ground again and eventually picked up two more burnt bits of parchment, which he dropped into his pocket before heading back to the tunnel. Perhaps Lucius or Bellatrix could make out what the writing meant, and if it turned out to be what he thought it was, he might be saved after all.

Cheered by his discovery, he hurried back through the tunnel, panting heavily as he climbed the stairs at the other end, and alighted through the wardrobe trapdoor, wading through the racks of clothes to its entrance. Stepping down onto the carpet he made haste out of the room and down to the library to show Lucius his precious clue.

Moments later he was timidly knocking on the door of the library. Upon hearing Lucius' "Enter" he carefully opened the door and slipped into the room, moving quickly across to where the elder Malfoy sat at his desk. Bellatrix was pulling a book from one of the shelves and turned on him as he entered.

"What do you think you're doing, you snivelling little worm?" she sneered at him. "What pathetic little story have you concocted for us this time?"

"Just a moment, Bella, let's hear what he has to say." Lucius stood and walked forward to stand directly in front of the smaller man. "So, Wormtail, what is it? What did you find?"

Pettigrew cowered before the elder Malfoy. "I-I found these." Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the burnt parchment pieces and handed them to Lucius, who looked at them curiously. "I-It might be a clue to their whereabouts," Pettigrew said hopefully, his eyes moving swiftly from Lucius to Bellatrix and back again.

Lucius passed the pieces to his sister-in-law, frowning slightly." Could it be a secret address, Bella? What do you think?"

"It's hard to tell, most of the writing has been burnt off." Bellatrix took the pieces over to the window and held them up to the light. "The only letters that remain are A-L-L." She turned back towards them then, and smiled deviously. "But a simple repairing charm may fix it." Placing the parchment pieces on a small table by the sofa, she flicked her wand. "Reparo!" The parchment pieces shifted and quickly knitted back together, the sooty colour fading before being replaced by black ink on a cream background. Lucius walked over to join her, leaning forward over the table to read the words that had been revealed. "Shell Cottage, Tinworth, Cornwall."

He picked up the parchment and smiled slightly. "Bella, you stay here and wait with Cissa. I think Wormtail and I are going to take a little journey." He walked over to Pettigrew, who was simpering and nodding eagerly. "Tell Cissa we'll be back soon," he said, looking back at Bellatrix as he steered Pettigrew out of the room. When they reached the front foyer, Lucius pulled his cloak off its hook and draped it over his shoulders before turning to his diminutive companion. Placing his hand gingerly on Pettigrew's shoulder, he turned on the spot and they Disapparated.

After several moments they found themselves in a cottage garden facing a small but neat house. Upon hearing voices, Lucius quickly moved behind a nearby tree, motioning to Pettigrew to do the same. The voices were drifting around the side of the house from the back garden and after a few moments they could make out the younger Malfoy's voice, causing Pettigrew to nearly shriek with glee, "They are here! They are here!"

Lucius hissed at the other man to be quiet, slapping him sharply across the back of the head as he did so. Pettigrew winced and cowered, but didn't say anything further. Slowly, Lucius moved away from the tree and followed the voices around the side of the house, motioning for Pettigrew to follow. The path down the side of the house was overgrown with foliage and they had to step carefully to avoid falling into the bushes. Luckily it was still early and the curtains hadn't yet been drawn. Nevertheless, they kept their heads down out of the way of prying eyes as they crept towards the voices.

Finally, when they reached the point where the side and back walls of the house met, Lucius put out his hand to stop the other man before peering carefully around the corner. The Weasley boy and the Mudblood were walking down the back stairs towards where Draco and Harry Potter stood consulting a piece of parchment. Lucius waited barely a moment before stepping out and pointing his wand at them. "Well, well, Draco, what do we have here?" Pettigrew stepped out from behind him, a malicious grin spreading across his face, as the four young people turned sharply towards them.

-------------------------------

Draco had woken to the sound of running water and, rolling over to his side, noted that the other beds were already empty. Throwing back the covers, he swung his legs over the side of the bed and stretched languidly. It was still chilly so he threw on a sweater over his t-shirt before heading for the bathroom, where Harry was just coming out, rubbing his face with a towel.

"Morning," Harry mumbled through the folds of the towel, before shaking it out and throwing over his shoulder. "Ron and Hermione are already downstairs. We need to get going as soon as we can." He brushed past Draco, who continued on towards the bathroom, where he quickly performed his ablutions. Returning to the bedroom, he dressed in the robes Hermione had transfigured for him and checked his reflection in the mirror before heading out the door and down to the kitchen.

Ron was pouring tea into mugs as Harry and Hermione helped themselves to warm crumpets. Draco joined them, muttering hasty good mornings between sips of tea as the others greeted him. Hermione pulled out a piece of parchment as she ate and began going through her checklist.

"Harry, you have your Invisibility Cloak?" She went back to her list when he nodded. "Draco, you look about right. Have you got your coin?"

"Check." He pulled it out of the inside pocket of his jacket and Hermione glanced up at him and nodded.

"Okay, I've got my bag with everything else we might need in it. So it looks like we're set." Satisfied, she folded the parchment and rose from the table.

Downing the rest of his tea and the last bite of his crumpet, Draco followed, glancing quickly at Harry and Ron, who were still finishing off their breakfast.

"Gives us a minute, Hermione! You'll give me indigestion!" Ron pushed a huge chunk of crumpet into his mouth. "What's the hurry?" Hermione gave him a disgusted look and rolled her eyes at Harry as the latter boy rose from the table and headed out the door sniggering.

She looked back at Ron, clearly annoyed. "We need to Apparate to Charing Cross Road before there are too many Muggles about. You know that Ron!" Grabbing the empty cups, she walked over to the sink as Harry and Draco made their way out the door.

"We'll meet you out back," Harry called out as he followed Draco down the hall.

Out in the back garden the grass was still dewy and Draco felt slightly chilled, even in his wool coat. He shivered slightly and Harry looked at him, frowning. "You okay?" Draco nodded, thinking perhaps he was just nervous. Their plan was a good one, but it was not foolproof by any means. He was fairly certain that the forged magical signature on the Gringotts parchment would stand up to scrutiny but they still didn't know whether there might be some other kind of security on the vault itself that could prove problematic. Although he had been to the vault before, he was uncertain whether Bellatrix had arranged for his entry beforehand. Well, they would worry about that if and when it happened, he thought ruefully.

Draco pulled out the parchment with the signature and checked it again, Harry looking over his shoulder to admire his handiwork. "She has awful writing," Harry commented.

Draco smirked at him. "Matches the rest of her." Harry grinned and then turned as Ron and Hermione made their way down the path towards them.

"Are we ready?" Hermione looked around them and they all nodded, Harry pulling his Invisibility Cloak out of his shirt. Draco folded up the parchment and was putting it back in his pocket when a voice startled him. "Well, well, Draco, what do we have here?" They all looked up in shock as the elder Malfoy stepped around the side of the house and pointed his wand at them, followed by a snickering Pettigrew.

Sizing up the situation in a glance, Draco grabbed Harry and turned on the spot, Disapparating them, the stunning spell that had been cast at them landing with a crack on the tree behind them instead. As Draco felt himself squeezing through space, he hoped fervently that Hermione and Ron had gotten away. Within moments they had landed on Charing Cross Road outside the door of the Leaky Cauldron, and Harry immediately threw his Invisibility Cloak over himself as Draco let go of his arm. In a matter of moments, Hermione joined them, dragging an unconscious Ron by the arm. She collapsed immediately onto the footpath and began trying to revive him.

Quickly looking around him, Draco noticed several Muggles walking down the street towards them. "You can't be seen!" He whispered urgently at Hermione. "You have to hide."

"Let's pull him into the Leaky Cauldron before anyone sees him," Harry replied and Draco could feel the rustle of the Invisibility Cloak at his side.

"No!" Draco's voice stopped them as they began to haul Ron towards the door. "You three can't be seen in there, or in Diagon Alley. It'll jeopardise everything!" Hermione looked up at him, then at Ron.

"He's right. We need to go." Grabbing Ron again by the arm she stood up and looked at Draco. "Use the coin to contact us when you get out of Gringotts," she said before Disapparating again.

"Oh, God, what do we do now?" Harry groaned, brushing against Draco's arm through the Cloak.

"We do what we came here to do," Draco answered and turned on his heel to walk into the Leaky Cauldron.


	5. Chapter 5: Gringotts

**Chapter 5: Gringotts**

The Leaky Cauldron was fairly quiet, with only a few patrons scattered about, most eating breakfast or sipping tea. Draco closed the door after holding it just long enough for Harry to step through, and walked quickly across the room to the exit. Tom, the barman, barely looked up as they swept past, and the others seemed preoccupied with their meals. So it was with a sigh of relief that Draco stepped out of the exit and into the small rear courtyard to face the wall separating them from Diagon Alley.

Tapping a brick near the top of the wall, he watched as the bricks began to shift and relocate, eventually leaving an opening large enough for them to walk through into Diagon Alley. Draco stepped through, momentarily feeling Harry's hand on his back, letting him know the invisible boy was immediately behind him. The street was almost empty, as it was still quite early, and several of the shops hadn't opened yet. As Draco walked in the direction of Gringotts he couldn't help but notice the dilapidated air of many of the buildings, compared to his last visit. Several of the shops had 'closed' signs in their dark windows and the Apothecary now had bars on its windows.

The few people who graced the street looked slightly different too—more guarded, perhaps, their eyes darting about as if expecting to be surprised at any moment. The entire effect made Draco shudder and he quickened his steps towards their destination. They were almost at the bank when Draco caught sight of a Death Eater heading in their direction. He nudged Harry gently, whispering, "Death Eater at two o'clock."

"Who is he?" hissed Harry through the Cloak. "I recognise him."

"Travers," Draco barely breathed his reply, trying with all his might to continue on his way as inconspicuously as possible. "I don't want him to see me. He probably thinks I've been captured." Draco moved quickly to walk along the side of a nearby shop and stopped to cast a quick Disillusionment charm over himself. "I don't think he saw me," he whispered when Travers walked past without looking in their direction.

"Looks like he's going to Gringotts, too." Harry moved closer to Draco so he could lower his voice as much as possible. "Maybe we should wait awhile before we go in."

"You're probably right. Let's wait until he comes out again," Draco scanned the street, turning back to watch as Travers walked up the steps and into the bank, stopping for a moment as the guards scanned him with golden rods. When Travers entered the main doors Draco ended his Disillusionment and leaned back against the wall. "Let's hope the other Death Eaters aren't of a mind to join him."

They moved slightly down the street until they came to a small alley, which they slipped into, biding their time until the Death Eater made his reappearance. They had a good view of the front of Gringotts from their vantage point and it wasn't long before Travers appeared once again, stopping for a moment to adjust his money bag before walking purposefully down the stairs and up the street towards them. Draco cast another Disillusionment Charm, although it would have been difficult for Travers to see them from the direction in which he was walking.

When the Death Eater had finally moved out of sight, Draco ended the Disillusionment and they stepped back out into the main street. Looking carefully around for signs of other undesirable visitors, they quickly made their way towards Gringotts and mounted the stairs. Draco paused on the third stair to allow himself to be scanned by the guards, who were using Probity Probes to detect magical concealment. The guards waved him on without incident and Harry followed silently behind him. It wasn't long before they had slipped through the imposing silver doors and were standing in the large marble hall that housed the main area of the bank.

One whole wall was flanked by a row of goblins who sat on high stools behind imposing desks, where they weighed and counted coins and pored over financial and other documents. Draco walked confidently over to one of the goblins, who greeted him obsequiously.

"Good morning, Master Malfoy." The goblin bowed low before him and Draco nodded. 'To what do we owe the pleasure today?"

"Good morning, Bogrod. I am on an errand for my aunt. I wish to enter the Lestrange vault." He pulled out the forged parchment and placed it on the desk in front of him. "Here are the requisite entry documents." He then laid his wand down on the desk. "And here is my wand for identification."

The goblin picked up the parchment and scanned it for several moments. "These appear to be in order." Picking up the wand, he held it aloft for a moment before handing it back to Draco, who inwardly sighed in relief as the goblin clapped his hands and another, younger goblin quickly appeared. "Bring me the Clankers." The younger goblin scurried off, soon returning with a jangling bag, which he handed to the other.

Refolding the parchment, Bogrod slipped off his stool with the bag of Clankers in hand and walked around the counter. "Please follow me and I will escort you to the vault." He led Draco through one of the doors on the west wall and Harry slipped in quickly behind him as the goblin shut the door. They were in a long, dimly lit tunnel with the familiar railway track leading down a steep incline and away into the darkness. It wasn't long before a cart clanked along the tracks and pulled up next to them. Taking the front seat, Bogrod waved his arm at Draco, who moved to sit in the back seat, Harry slipping in beside him just as the cart began to roll.

The trip to the vault was uneventful, although the fire-breathing dragon that guarded the vault had proven rather fearsome. Bogrod merely waved the Clankers at it and it retreated in haste—the dragons had been conditioned to fear the sound. When they were safely past the dragon the goblin waved the magically signed parchment across the large silver lock that protected the vault, causing the bolt to slide back with a clank and the doors to swing open. Once inside the vault, Harry pulled off his cloak and looked around. "That was almost too easy." He looked nervously around the room and then at Draco, who was also scanning the room for possible traps.

"I know what you mean. But I actually think we got through okay. Aunt Bella has no reason to suspect I would be after anything in here," he replied as he slowly made his way through the piles of wizard coins and unusual artefacts scattered around the huge, cavernous room. "And I have access to our family vault so it's not as if she'd suspect me of wanting to steal from her."

It took them some time to locate the cup they were seeking, but eventually Harry spotted it on a high shelf over the door and levitated it into Draco, who quickly turned it over to examine it properly. Satisfied it was the genuine article, he deposited the cup into a suede bag he had pulled out of his robes. "Well spotted," Draco congratulated Harry, who grinned and pulled his Cloak back over his head.

"Let's get out of here," he replied, his disembodied voice drifting towards the door as he spoke.

The vault magically locked itself again as they walked out and climbed back into the cart and it wasn't long before they reached the surface again and were being escorted through the door back into the main chamber. Quickly making their way back out onto the street, they stopped when they reached the alley in which they'd previously hid.

"So, what do we do now?" Draco leaned back against the brick wall and sighed. "We can't go back to Shell Cottage."

Harry groaned and pulled of the Cloak. "No doubt the place will be swarming with Death Eaters awaiting our return. God, I hope Bill and Fleur are alright!"

"I don't think my father would have bothered with them, to be honest," Draco turned to look at Harry. "I think he was searching for me to make sure I was alright. That's why he made himself known rather than just attacking."

"But surely he'd be happy to get me at least." Harry replied incredulously. "I bet You-Know-Who's been making them suffer since we escaped."

"That's probably true, but father's a sharp man. He'd have noticed we weren't exactly enemies, which means he knows I've switched sides. He'll be buying time, trying to work out what to do." Harry gave him another unbelieving look and Draco sighed and leant back against the wall again. "Look. My family are not exactly in You-Know-Who's good books at present and my father and I have talked about the possibility of getting away. He doesn't support many of the Death Eater's activities any more, but there's really not much he's been able to do about it."

He turned to look directly into Harry's eyes. "The point is, if I—his son--am on the side of Light, he's not going to be too keen to do us in. It's not like he can switch sides himself at this stage, and I'm not sure he would even want to, but he's not going to do anything that might put me in danger." Harry frowned then and was about to cut in, when Draco continued. "Don't you see? Hurting you is the same as hurting me."

Harry blinked a few times as if trying to process this new situation, then broke away from Draco's gaze and leaned back against the wall. "I suppose," he said uncertainly. "But what about Bill and Fleur? Surely now they know the address, the Death Eaters will want to attack. Even if just to draw me out."

Draco shook his head and put his hands on Harry's shoulders. "No Harry, you didn't listen. My father won't care about taking hostages now that he knows I've switched sides. I'll bet you a million galleons he even Obliviated Pettigrew so the little sneak couldn't go off and report what he saw to Aunt Bella or You-Know-Who." He stared solemnly into Harry's face, trying to make the other boy understand. If he knew anything about his father it was that he would do anything to protect his family. He'd even bet Lucius was relieved to have Draco throw his lot in with Harry Potter. Lucius had long been of the opinion that the Dark Lord was fighting a losing battle there anyway. Staying loyal to the Dark Lord was nothing more than a protective measure at this stage, but Lucius' loyalty to his family would always be stronger than that.

Harry continued to frown, but eventually lifted his hand to touch Draco's, which was still clutching his shoulder. "I'm sorry, but it's just hard for me to take in. One minute the Malfoys are our arch enemies and the next they've switched sides." He shook his head, and looked down. "I want to believe it," he said softly, and Draco could hear the ache in his voice.

Pulling his hands away from Harry's shoulders Draco placed a finger under the other boy's chin and lifted it until green eyes met grey. "You trust me, Harry?" The other boy nodded. "Then believe it." Harry gazed into his eyes for long moments and Draco felt himself sinking into those emerald orbs. Dropping his hand to his side, he moved a step closer to the other boy. "Harry, remember when you looked into my mind? Remember what you thought you saw?" Harry's face flushed at the memory and he nodded and looked away. Draco steeled himself to continue. Taking a deep breath, he moved even closer to the other boy and bent to whisper in his ear. "It _was_ love. For _you_, Harry." Harry turned sharply back to him and their lips almost brushed each other as Draco pulled back to look into his face.

Harry stared at him for long moments, searching his eyes for something—what, Draco didn't know. When Harry finally spoke, his voice was hoarse. "I-I… why?" He frowned then. "Why me?"

Draco looked back at him gently, suddenly calm now that he had fully revealed his true feelings. It was like a weight lifted from his chest. "I think you know why, Harry." Harry looked down at his hands, which were unconsciously twisting his Invisibility Cloak into knots, and appeared to think for a moment. "Come on." Draco said gently, when Harry didn't say anything. "We have to decide where to go. And we should try to contact Ron and Hermione."

Harry came to his senses then and nodded. "Do you have your coin?" Draco pulled it out of his pocket and held it up. "Good. Once we find out where they are, we can join them."

"Young Malfoy?" Both boys turned at the voice and found themselves face to face with Travers, who had stopped in the entrance to the Alley to adjust his coat. He looked from Draco to Harry and his eyes widened. "Harry Potter?" It was a only a split second before it registered just who he was faced with, but it was long enough for Harry to pull out his wand and send a stunning spell at the Death Eater. There was a flash of red light and Travers dropped to the ground at their feet.

"Quick! Pull him into the alley before someone sees," Draco hissed as he grabbed the unconscious man's legs and began to pull. Harry ran forward and grabbed his arms and between them they managed to drag the man to the other end of the alley.

"We don't have time to activate the coin now!" Harry looked frantic as Draco held up the coin to summon Hermione. "She won't know where to find us. She thinks we're still at Gringotts and we haven't got time to go back there before he wakes up! We have to get out of here."

"Okay, I know where to go." Draco grasped Harry's wrist and an instant later they Disapparated, leaving Travers in a dishevelled heap near some garbage cans at the rear of the alley.

When they finally were able to gasp for breath again, they were in a large room with a high ceiling and crystal sconces on the wall over an elaborate marble fireplace. Harry blinked as he gazed around at the elaborately carved furniture and expensive Persian rugs. "Where are we? It can't be Malfoy Manor?" He looked at Draco aghast.

"No, no!" Draco hastened to assure him. "This is my mother's summer cottage in Dover."

Harry looked around the room again and raised his eyebrows in amusement at the other boy. "Summer cottage? Bloody hell, Draco, what does the dog house look like? Triple gable?"

Draco smirked back at him as he flopped into a huge armchair by the fireplace. "What can I say? Modest, the Malfoys are not." He waved an arm around the room as he spoke. "Mother likes to spend some time out here when the weather permits. Father rarely comes here though. Doesn't like the salty small of the sea." He toed off his shoes and got comfortable in the chair, stretching lazily as he did so. "I am totally exhausted! What about you? Hungry?'

"Yeah, I'm pretty tired. And hungry." Harry moved over to the other armchair and gingerly lowered himself into its depths. "I don't suppose you cook, though?"

"I can rustle up a sandwich. But I could call a house-elf from the Manor if you want something more substantial." Draco crossed one leg over the other at the knee and flicked his wand at the fireplace, which lit up instantly.

"Wouldn't it be dangerous to call one of the Manor house-elves? Can you trust them?" Harry began to settle back a bit and get comfortable.

"Of course. But if you're worried we could just go raid the pantry," Draco replied with a yawn.

"I could call Kreacher," Harry offered. "The house-elf from the old Black residence," he explained when Draco's eyebrows shot up. "I, er, inherited the house from Sirius."

"Sirius Black?" Draco sat up and stared at Harry in amazement.

"Er, yeah. He was my godfather." Harry shrugged, looking a bit awkward then. By rights the house should have passed to Narcissa, who was the next living Black in line after Sirius.

"So. We're related, almost." Draco smirked in amusement. "By all means, please call your house-elf. I'm starved."

Harry pulled himself forward out of the chair with difficulty and called out to the elf. "Kreacher!" Immediately there was a loud crack and Kreacher appeared before them, clapping his hands together gleefully.

"Oh, Master Harry! Finally you have summoned me!" He threw himself at Harry's feet. "What can I do for you, Master?"

"It's alright, Kreacher. Please get up." Kreacher quickly stood before Harry and bowed. "I'm sorry I haven't called you before but I'll explain later. Right now we'd like you to bring us some dinner, please." He looked over at Draco. "This is Draco Malfoy and this is his house. His house-elves are, er, otherwise detained."

"Of course, Master Harry." Kreacher turned and bowed at Draco. "And I am always at the service of Master Malfoy." Kreacher rose then and hurried off to the kitchen.

"So, how are we going to contact Ron and Hermione?" Harry sat back down with a frown as he remembered the recent events. "We have no idea where they Apparated to, or even if they're still there. The coin only summons Hermione, but she won't know where we are." He looked over at Draco hopefully.

"I know, and I really have no idea where to start looking." Draco sighed and rubbed his face wearily. "We still have one more Horcrux to find, and now we have to worry about what Travers will do when he wakes up. There's no doubt he will go straight to You-Know-Who."

"That means we have to move fast." Harry sat forward, his brow furrowed. "They'll know soon enough that you switched sides. God knows what he'll do to your parents."

"We should have Obliviated him." Draco closed his eyes and rubbed them fiercely, thinking of the possible repercussions of his actions on his parents. He had known they would suffer one way or another when he'd chosen to defect and he felt a lot of guilt for having caused them such pain, even knowing he had done the right thing. Draco grinned ruefully to himself as he realised that he was damned if he did and damned if he didn't. Either way, someone suffered.

Harry seemed to feel some of his pain because he had risen from his chair and walked over to sit at Draco's feet. When Draco opened his eyes Harry was looking at him with deep concern. Draco sighed inwardly as he felt the urge to lean forward and stroke the other boy's brow and tell him all would be okay. He had absolute faith in Harry, and only wished that Harry could have that amount of faith in himself. His worry for his parents was one thing, and he would do everything in his power to save them from the Dark Lord's wrath, but his feelings for Harry lie on another plane altogether.

Harry must have noticed the change in his expression because his face suddenly softened and he leaned forward to look at Draco more closely. "Draco," he began, "What you said before." Draco's brow furrowed and Harry quickly continued. "About love." He swallowed noticeably before adding, "and me." Draco didn't say anything, so Harry continued. "What kind of love were you talking about?" He continued to gaze seriously at Draco, who stiffened slightly at the question and inwardly began to panic.

Draco had no idea how to respond to that question. Every answer seemed trite or crude. How do you tell someone that you've adored them from afar since the first time you met and that over the years that adoration had softened into something much deeper, something reverent and pure, but unmistakably carnal and soul-deep in its physical manifestation. Draco had spent years denying it to himself, his denial manifesting in myriad brutish and trivial ways, all of which managed to drive the object of his affection further and further away.

It was only recently that Draco had begun, with Professor Snape's help, to come to terms with his true feelings for Harry--feelings that were almost frightening in their intensity, while at the same time seeming as pure and life-giving as water from an underground mineral spring. Draco looked carefully at Harry, trying to second guess his reaction, and felt himself, as always, falling into those emerald eyes, all sense giving over completely to pure sensibility.

When he came to himself several moments later, Harry was still gazing at him intently, a look of expectancy on his face. So Draco gave him the only answer he could, given the circumstances. Slowly sitting up, he reached forward to stroke the back of Harry's neck lightly before leaning in to brush his lips against Harry's in a chaste kiss. A sigh of breath escaped the other boy's lips and the world as they knew it stopped for an instant as the kiss stretched across time and space, before Harry reached back and pulled Draco into his arms, and the universe clicked audibly back into place.


	6. Chapter 6: Truth and Consequences

**Chapter 6: Truth and Consequences**

The heavy metal gates opened immediately when Travers appeared in front of them, clutching his cloak about him in the crisp evening air. He strode purposefully up the long drive where he could see lights beginning to blink on in the windows. When he reached the front doors he was greeted by a diminutive house-elf, who stood back and bowed, allowing him access to the foyer. She meekly took his coat and led him through to the main dining room, where several people were seated around the large table sipping wine from elegant crystal glasses and pondering the contents of some pieces of parchment. They looked up when Travers entered the room, Lucius standing to address him.

"To what do we owe this honour, Travers? You weren't due back until Saturday," Lucius walked over to the sideboard and, picking up a glass, offered it to his newest guest, who took it gratefully.

"I have news of the whereabouts of your son." All heads snapped up at that, and Travers continued smugly, "And Harry Potter." He paused for effect and sipped from his glass, before taking a seat at the table to the right of Lucius.

"My son? Is he all right? Where did you see him?" Lucius searched the other man's face, making a concerted effort to remain calm.

"It seems that young Draco has switched sides." Lucius' eyes narrowed at Travers as the others gasped in shock. Travers smirked at Lucius and continued drinking his wine.

"What are you talking about? My son was kidnapped by Potter and his cronies." Lucius placed his glass carefully on the table and sat back in his chair to observe the other man. "Where did you see him?" he asked calmly, though his heart was pounding fiercely in his chest.

After discovering Draco at Shell Cottage he had Obliviated both Pettigrew and Bella and had thought that would be the end of it. He had hoped Harry Potter would provide enough protection to prevent Draco from being exposed as a traitor. Sadly, that was not to be it seemed, and he inwardly cursed the deities for this spectacular turn of events. His ill humour was heightened when his sister-in-law swept into the room at that moment.

Tracers ignored the interruption and continued, eyeing Lucius maliciously. "I went to Gringotts today and saw Draco and the Potter boy together just off Diagon Alley." He leaned towards Lucius and eyed him with amusement, awaiting his reaction.

"What? Travers, what are you talking about?" Bellatrix stalked over to him and grabbed his arm. "You found Draco? With Potter?" Her eyes gleamed with spite as she looked smugly over at Lucius. "How is our Draco? Was he injured from the terrible trauma of being captured and held hostage?"

"He hardly looked like he was in any distress. Indeed, I'd go so far as to say they looked rather chummy." Travers sat back and emptied his glass, glancing at Lucius out of the corner of his eye as he did so.

Bellatrix sneered at her brother-in-law and sat down across the table from him. "I knew it. That no good little traitor! I knew we'd get him!" She threw her head back and laughed maliciously.

Lucius paled but didn't lose his composure. Quickly weighing his options, he chose to remain ignorant. "Just what do you mean by that, Travers? My son would never betray me--or the Dark Lord. You must have been mistaken." He sniffed and looked down his nose at Travers, who merely shrugged.

"I know what I saw. They were alone in Diagon Alley and conversing in friendly terms. In fact, they were practically embracing each other. Hardly a hostage situation, I would think." Travers smirked again, looking around at the others as they began to murmur to each other.

Bellatrix stood up. "Of course we must tell the Dark Lord at once!" She turned towards the door, but was stopped in her tracks by Mulciber's voice. "He's not here yet, Bella. You will have to be patient." He turned to Lucius with a derisive sneer. "I knew we couldn't trust that brat of yours, Malfoy. He such a little ponce."

"How dare you speak of my son like that!" Lucius rose out of his chair and leaned over the table menacingly.

"Lucius, what is wrong?" Narcissa had caught his words as she entered the room. She moved towards him, concern showing on her face.

"It appears your little boy has gone over to the other side." Bellatrix sneered at her sister, but the latter just looked back at her husband with a frown.

"Travers saw them in Diagon Alley. Speaking of which, why didn't you Hex them or try to capture them, Travers?" Nott spoke this time, and Travers began to look a little uncomfortable. Narcissa carefully schooled her features and went to sit by her husband, the slightest brush of her hand against his arm the only indication of her distress.

"Potter stunned me before I had a chance to pull out my wand," Travers growled. "By the time I came to they were gone, of course."

Nott laughed shortly at his discomfort. "Some Death Eater you are!" He continued to laugh derisively and Travers' face flushed in humiliation.

"I found them didn't I?" He huffed. "I discovered that Draco is a traitor! The Dark Lord at least will thank me." He leaned towards Lucius and sneered nastily. "Unlike the Malfoys, no doubt."

Pettigrew burst into the room then, interrupting the tense exchange. "The Dark Lord has finally arrived! He's in the library." Making his way over to the sideboard he poured himself a large glass of brandy and downed it in one gulp.

"Tell him I've found young Malfoy," Travers said, before looking over at Lucius and Narcissa spitefully. "And that he's in cahoots with Potter."

Pettigrew dropped the glass he was still holding and gasped. "I will tell him at once! You'd better come with me, Travers." Travers rose and, brushing down his robes self-importantly, followed the smaller man out of the room.

Lucius sat back and looked around the table at the others, searching his mind for an appropriate response to the recent revelations. His son was now in grave danger, not to mention Narcissa and himself. He could hardly continue to deny Draco's actions when the truth had so obviously made itself clear. He needed to find a way to protect his family and cursed himself for the hundredth time for not sending them off to Europe when the Dark Lord had reappeared after the Tri-Wizard Tournament. Draco was a bright boy and could look after himself but Potter was always taking stupid chances, a trait that up until this point Lucius had been glad of, if only because the young lout had landed him in Azkaban. But now Draco had chosen to side with the Boy Who Lived and Lucius hoped that luck would, as always, continue to be on Potter's side as a counterpoint to his impetuousness.

He glanced at Narcissa and she squeezed his hand under the table. He had confided in her upon his return from Shell Cottage and she was nothing if not relieved that Draco had taken a stand, though she had worried for him constantly ever since. Lucius could feel her hand trembling ever so slightly in his and wished he could spare her this trauma. She was strong, always had been, but he feared that recent events would prove too much for her.

He turned slightly and observed her profile, which was carefully blank, and thought how beautiful she looked even in the midst of this crisis. She was like an Assher-cut diamond—beautiful beyond measure and perfectly symmetrical, yet with myriad complex facets that brought out light and colour. But she also was hard and rock-solid, her resolve so tough it could cut through glass. She was a perfect, priceless gem.

She looked at him momentarily and though her features were calm, her eyes burned into him with the light of a thousand suns. Lucius turned back to regard the others, thinking he would give anything—the Manor, his station, even his wand—to see those eyes become aglow once again with the love and contentment that only peace and family could bring. Sighing inwardly, he forced himself to assume an air of quiet disdain as the others around the table debated his beloved family's fate.

It wasn't long before Travers returned, but Lucius was prepared. "The Dark Lord wants to see you, Malfoy." Travers smirked as he sat back at the table. Lucius arose and left the room without a word, ignoring the snickers issuing from the others. Sweeping confidently into the library, he walked over to the large armchair by the fire and called in all his powers of Occlumency as he faced the man he had come to hate more than anyone on this earth.

"You requested my presence?" He bowed deeply and sat on the sofa when bid. Pettigrew was flittering around the room, organising parchment and books for the man in the armchair who called himself the Dark Lord. Lucius waited for the Dark Lord to address him.

"It appears your son has turned traitor, Lucius. What do you know of his activities?" He glared at Lucius intently and he could feel the other's magic tugging at his mind, snaking into his thoughts.

An expert at compartmentalising his thoughts, Lucius was confident that nothing untoward would be found there, and replied calmly. "Nothing, my Lord. I was of the impression that Draco had been kidnapped by Potter and his cronies. This news is very unsettling, if it can be believed." He carefully kept his face blank as he felt the magic slipping deeper and deeper into his mind.

"I see no reason not to believe it," The Dark Lord replied. "Now, what to do about it? That is another matter." He walked over to stand imperiously in front of Lucius. "You did not have any inkling of young Draco's intentions, Lucius? I find that difficult to believe."

"Trust me, my Lord, I had no idea. Draco has always been a willing servant," Lucius lied calmly, looking directly into the other man's evil, scarlet eyes. The Dark Lord gazed back at him for long moments before finally turning to sit back in his armchair.

"Very well. You leave me no choice." He turned to Pettigrew, who was still fussing over the books, and sneered ominously. "Wormtail, escort Lucius to the parlour and make sure he cannot escape, while I think of some way to draw young Draco back to the fold." Continuing to maintain his calm demeanour, Lucius rose immediately and followed Pettigrew out of the room.

------------------------------

Harry looked up, startled, when Kreacher burst into the room and announced that dinner was served. Pulling away from Draco's embrace, he suddenly grabbed the other boy's shoulders with both hands. "That's it!"

Draco looked at him, frowning. "What's it?"

"Kreacher can act as our spy!" Harry stood up and began pacing the floor. "Don't you see? Kreacher has been to Malfoy Manor on many occasions. He hated Sirius, so when Sirius was living at Grimmauld Place, he used to go over to the Manor and divulge Order secrets to your mother. That's how the whole battle at the Ministry happened in our fifth year."

Draco looked confused. "So why is Kreacher here serving you?"

"We came to an understanding earlier in the year when Ron, Hermione and I were living at Grimmauld Place. All he wanted was some respect, someone to care for him. Once he realised we weren't about to abuse him, he began to help us." Harry stopped then and held his hand out. "Come on, let's go eat and we can make a plan." Draco took the proffered hand and followed Harry from the room, still unsure what kind of plan the other boy had in mind, but eager to have any plan at all. He sighed as he recalled their kiss, and made a mental note to make sure they continued _that_ discussion later.

Tucking into delicious steak and kidney pie soon after, the two boys discussed possible plans for using Kreacher as a spy at Malfoy Manor.

"Are you sure, Harry? How do you know he won't divulge all your secrets?" Draco took a sip of pumpkin juice and reached for a fresh roll.

"You Know Who killed Kreacher's favourite person in the world—Regulus Black—and I honestly believe he would do almost anything to see that bastard fall. Besides, if you are right in thinking your parents won't betray us, then we have no reason to suspect that any secrets we have will fall into the wrong hands." Harry sat back smugly, obviously pleased with his idea.

Draco pondered this for a moment, looking for holes in the logic, but couldn't find any. "Okay, say you're right about trusting Kreacher. What excuse will he have for suddenly showing up at the Manor after all this time? It's been, what, seven or eight months? What will he say to them?"

Harry chewed on his fork distractedly for a few minutes as he considered Draco's questions. "Hmm. Well, Grimmauld Place has been empty for months now. He could just be lonely and looking to serve someone, which is what he did when the house was vacant for almost ten years. And Narcissa has always been kind to him. He said as much. In any case, she must know that Grimmauld Place was willed to me, given her Black heritage. Surely she's clever enough to put two and two together?"

Draco nodded thoughtfully. "Okay, that sounds right enough. We may be able to find out what Travers reports back about us. I'm sure he would have rushed right over there to crow in front of my father." He sighed as he thought about what the Dark Lord might do to his father when he found out about Draco's defection. "And at least we'll be able to keep tabs on whether my parents.are being tortured."

Harry gave him a sympathetic look. "God, Draco, how can you be so calm? I hope they're okay." He frowned and rubbed his eyes. "I feel so guilty. I shouldn't have taken off the Cloak. At least you could have concocted some kind of story then."

"Don't worry about it. It wouldn't have worked, anyway. If I was supposed to be kidnapped, what was I doing by myself in the middle of bloody Diagon Alley? Death Eaters may, on the whole, be rather thick, but they're not that stupid." He sat back in his chair, patting his stomach contentedly. "Kreacher can cook! That was a good as any I've had at the Manor," he observed, changing the subject. He didn't want to think about his parents for the time being. They had enough on their plate what with one more Horcrux to find, not to mention trying to locate Ron and Hermione.

"Where do you think Ron and Hermione went?" He asked as they stood up from the table.

"No idea. Could be anywhere." Harry scratched his head for a moment. "My first thought is Hogsmeade, since the other Horcrux is probably at Hogwarts. I don't know how they'd get in though."

Draco walked around the table and took his hand. "We've had a long day. How about we get some sleep and worry about it tomorrow? The house is protected by strong concealment and repelling spells so we should be safe at least for tonight." Harry nodded as Draco led him from the room. "The guest bedroom should be prepared and there are plenty of spare clothes and anything else you'll need there." He looked back at Harry as he led him up the stairs. "You can take a shower or bath if you want. The guest bedroom has an ensuite." He stopped then and opened the door to an elegant suite, furnished with a mahogany four poster bed, matching dresser and side tables, and an overstuffed sofa against the far wall, complemented by a foot rest and several occasional tables. He waved his hand and the sconces on the wall burst into light.

Harry looked around the room for a moment, then turned to Draco. "Thanks, I could use a shower."

Draco smiled and nodded. "There should be pyjamas in the dresser and towels in the bathroom. My bedroom is across the hall if you need anything." He turned and slipped through the door, leaving Harry to his ablutions. Opening his own bedroom door, he felt the weight of the day on his shoulders and thought he would take a nice hot bath himself. Moving to the bathroom adjoining his room, he turned on the taps and clouds of steam rose gently from the tub. Sighing contentedly he slipped into the warm water and relaxed for the first time since he had awoken that day.

After soaking away his aches, he dried himself off and slipped into silk pyjama bottoms before padding barefoot back into his bedroom. Slipping in between the cool sheets, he stretched out lazily, waving his hand to extinguish the candles before snuggling down and sighing contentedly. As he yawned and settled into the pillows, he thought about Harry's kiss once again, reliving the gentle touch of mouth upon mouth, savouring the taste of Harry's warm tongue against his. He smiled to himself as he drifted off and imagined he felt the curl of Harry's body against his own and Harry's arm reaching over to snuggle him against the other man's body. It felt so luxurious and Draco breathed a sigh of contentment as he imagined himself snuggling back into that firm curve of Harry's body against his.

He could almost feel Harry's breath in his ear, calling his name. _Draco, Draco_… the soft touch of lips on the shell of his ear and the tender feel of tongue tip against his throat, licking and stroking, leaving a trail of gooseflesh in its wake. He unconsciously inclined his head to expose his neck to more of dream-Harry's kisses and groaned as he imagined he could almost feel the shivering caress of Harry's lips against his jaw.

_Draco…_ He stretched against the sheets and slid his legs languidly along the length of the bed. _Draco…_ He sighed as he imagined strong arms circling his waist and pulling him into a warm embrace. Their bodies fit so well together in his dream and Draco imagined he was melting against the warm heat of his Harry. His chest began to throb when dream-Harry's hands moved gently over his stomach and upwards to caress his chest and shoulders. It felt like heaven and Draco fell into it willingly, falling, falling….

_You're so beautiful_, dream-Harry breathed into his ear and Draco thought he might die from the ecstasy of the exquisite vision that beckoned to him from beyond his consciousness.

"Harry," he breathed and felt soft lips against his own, sliding and sucking gently, drifting slowly into his consciousness. Feeling sublimely content, he resisted the raw touch of reality until it prodded at him, softly tapping against his psyche and lifting him gently back to now.

He could still feel soft kisses and it took him a moment to come fully to his senses. He was warm and safe, and held in strong arms, and the arms were Harry's. As the scent of Harry's skin invaded his senses he pulled back slightly and moaned.

_Draco…_ A breath against his neck made him shudder involuntarily.

Draco's eyes slowly opened and he marvelled at the realism of his dream, the tactile luxury of imagined kisses and strokes on his skin. He rolled to lie on his back and his eyelids fluttered and closed again. He never wanted the dream to end.

"Draco, are you awake?" Draco blinked and sighed. But then he felt soft lips on his neck and strong arms circling his back and he suddenly knew this was no dream.

"Harry?" He breathed softly and turned to find Harry gazing at him affectionately.

"I couldn't sleep. Can I stay with you?" Harry half sat up and moved away slightly. Draco groaned at his loss and reached over to pull the other boy close again.

"Please." Draco curled himself around the other boy and snuggled his head into the crook of Harry's arm. Harry circled his free arm around Draco's waist and stroked him softly, placing warm kisses against his forehead. Basking in these tender ministrations, Draco sighed and finally drifted off to sleep.

8


	7. Chapter 7: Kreacher's Task

**Chapter 7: Kreacher's Task**

Draco awoke with a start to complete darkness. Something had roused him and as he sat up to peer through the gloom he heard a moan beside him. Waving his hand to light the candles, he turned to see Harry writhing against the sheets, shaking his head, his hair damp with sweat. He began to moan loudly, and a shot of fear went through Draco at the sound. Harry had told him about the nightmares, about being able to see into You-Know-Who's mind, and the thought was intensely frightening.

"Harry!" Draco prodded the other boy gently, trying to stir him out of the dream. "Harry! Wake up." When the other boy didn't respond he grasped his arm and began to shake him. Harry groaned again and continued to thrash, so Draco moved to straddle his waist so he could shake him by both arms. "Harry. Wake up. You're having a nightmare." Finally Harry opened his eyes and sat up abruptly, almost knocking Draco to the floor. Draco scooted back quickly to give him room.

"Harry, are you alright? Was it one of your nightmares?" Harry was blinking and panting heavily, trying to orient himself.

Eventually he seemed to come back to himself and he rubbed his arm across his damp brow. When he finally looked at Draco, he frowned. "Yes, I was in his mind again. He was torturing someone. It was horrible. He was just standing there and laughing." Harry rubbed roughly at his eyes and looked so distressed that Draco moved to sit next to him, placing an arm around his shoulders.

"Do you think it was real?" Draco asked. He was unsure just what the dreams meant, never having seen Harry in the throes of one in real life. He wondered what it would be like to see into the Dark Lord's mind and imagined it would be full of murky, sinister images of death and torture, echoed by the ghostly sounds of his victim's pain, anguish and grief. He shuddered at the thought and pulled Harry closer.

"It was real. I-I was there—right in his mind. I-I was him. I just wish I knew who it was he was hurting." Harry continued to massage his eyes as if he could rub away the terrible visions of his dream. As Draco watched, however, the other boy's face slowly changed, the eyes going wide and his previously flushed cheeks paling all of a sudden.

"Oh my God! I think he was at Malfoy Manor. Draco, he's torturing your mother." Harry turned to Draco with a terrified look in his eyes.

"What?" Draco's face blanched. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. I saw it. They were in some kind of library and he was casting Cruciatus on her." Harry buried his head in his hands, still shaking, and after a shocked minute Draco pulled him closer and dropped his head onto the other boy's shoulder.

"Oh, God. I was afraid of this," Draco whispered against Harry's neck he felt so guilty. It was all his fault—if he hadn't run off this would never have happened. How could he have been so thoughtless and cruel as to leave his beloved mother to the mercy of that insane lunatic? He berated himself harshly as he held Harry close. He would never forgive himself if something bad happened to either of his parents.

They sat like that for some time before Harry pulled away. "We've got to do something. We can't let this happen."

Draco looked up at him and frowned. "But what? We daren't go there."

Harry looked away in thought for a moment. "We'll send Kreacher. He can give us first hand information about what is actually going on there. Maybe there's a way to get your parents out of there."

Draco shivered as he thought of the danger surrounding such a ploy. "But how? How could he get them out with everyone watching? And I'm sure at least some of the Death Eaters know about this house."

"We can at least find out what's actually happening. Then maybe we'll be able to come up with a plan to help them escape."

Draco continued to look at him uncertainly. "I still don't see how anyone could sneak them out from under the noses of the Death Eaters." He sighed at this obvious conclusion, trying not to think about his mother being Crucio'd. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath, but the image rose again and again until he felt himself in a near panic.

"You managed to sneak us out of the Manor, didn't you? And there were three of us. It's not impossible." Harry tried to reassure him, but Draco began shivering, his breath coming in short gasps as he let the guilt and pain wash over him.

"Draco, are you okay?" Harry asked softly, and Draco opened his eyes to see the other boy peering at him, deep concern etched into his face. Draco nodded but then covered his face with shaky hands, so Harry leaned over and pulled his hands away. "We'll help them, I swear. We'll get them out of there." Still holding Draco's hands, he laid back against the pillows, pulling Draco with him and holding him close until his trembling began to subside. They lay like that for a long time before Draco finally felt calm enough to talk.

"Harry, what if he kills them?"

Harry sighed and lifted his hand to stroke Draco's hair for long moments before answering. "Don't think like that. We'll get them out, I know we will." Draco trusted Harry completely, but even The Boy Who Lived couldn't stop at least some people from dying at the Dark Lord's hands. He had to admit, though, that Harry's plan to send Kreacher to spy was their only hope, under the circumstances. He only wished that Kreacher would be able to perform his task undetected. With that thought he sat up and looked down at Harry, whose tousled hair made him look even more adorable than usual.

"When should we put this plan of yours into action?"

Harry sat up, then and got out of bed. "No time like the present. It might be better if Kreacher arrives at the Manor under cover of darkness." He consulted the clock on the mantle, which indicated it was three-fifteen a.m. "It's early enough that everyone should be still asleep." He proceeded to call for his house-elf, and the crack of his Apparition was almost instantaneous.

"Kreacher, we need you to do something very important for us."

"Yes, Master Harry, Kreacher is glad to serve in whatever way you require." Kreacher bowed low and Harry sat down on the bed so he was almost level with the elf.

"We need you to go to Malfoy Manor. Miss Cissa and Lucius Malfoy are being tortured by You-Know-Who. We need you see what is happening and report back to us."

"The Dark Lord shall rot in a graveyard before he will be allowed to continue harming a Malfoy, Master Harry," Kreacher growled, a determined look on his face.

"Good. Now, you need to go and join the other house-elves there and tell anyone who asks that you are bored at Grimmauld Place and wanted to go back to serve Miss Cissa. You must tell noone except Cissa or Lucius of our plan."

"Yes, Master, Kreacher will tell no one."

"Take as long as you need. Work in the house and look around carefully. See if there is a way we might be able to get them out of there." Harry paused thoughtfully, then added. "You should report back to me every day so we know what is going on."

"Kreacher will report back each evening after the house-elves have gone to bed."

"Okay, Kreacher. Off you go. Good luck." Kreacher disappeared with a loud crack, and Harry turned back to Draco, who was still sitting on the bed.

"Fingers crossed," he said as he moved back to sit next to Draco on the bed.

"Luck is not an option," Draco replied seriously. "You know, we really need to find Ron and Hermione and get to work looking for the last Horcrux." He changed the subject, unable to think anymore about what horrors might be happening at the Manor.

"I've been thinking about that. I wonder if we still could make use of the DA coin."

"But it only summons them. How will they know where to find us?" Draco looked at him, frowning.

"We could go back to Gringotts and then activate the coin. I'll wear the Cloak and you cast a Disillusionment Charm on yourself. No one will even know we're there this time." Harry sat back against the pillows, resting his against the headboard.

"I suppose that would work." Draco yawned and rubbed his eyes, suddenly tired.

"Let's get some sleep then. We'll get up early and head out before Diagon Alley gets too crowded." Harry slid down beneath the covers, reaching out for Draco's arm to pull him close. Arranging the covers around them both, Harry waved his hand and whispered, "Nox," as he snuggled down into the pillows, his arms draped protectively around the other boy. Draco sighed and leaned into Harry contentedly, suddenly very appreciative of Gryffindor protectiveness.

---------------------

Stepping through the opening in the bricks he had just created, Draco carefully looked around to make sure no one had noticed, and moved out into Diagon Alley. He could feel Harry close behind him, the soft rustle of his Cloak barely audible in the early morning bustle of the street. They had set out right after breakfast, Draco casting a Disillusionment Charm before Side-Along Apparating Harry to Charing Cross Road for the second time in as many days. It had been a fairly lengthy wait until someone had come along and opened the doors so they could slip into the Leaky Cauldron—they had thought it might look rather odd for the door to open seemingly by itself. Eventually, however, they had been able to slip in behind a couple of old wizards and made their way out to the back courtyard, where Draco quickly tapped the wall to allow them through.

They kept to the left side of the Alley where there were fewer shop-fronts as they made their way towards Gringotts. Draco's Disillusionment could provide only so much invisibility, the Charm tending to make him shimmer slightly when he passed by glass. It only took them a few minutes to reach Gringotts, but to Draco it seemed to take forever. He kept glancing around suspiciously, expecting the place to be swarming with Death Eaters just waiting to catch him out again. They arrived at Gringotts without mishap, however, and Draco reached back and, feeling Harry's arm through his Cloak, quickly pulled him into the side alley where they had hidden the previous day.

"Okay, I've got the coin. We should move over towards the steps at Gringotts before I activate it. That'll probably be where they'll expect to find us. The problem is, they'll probably be under Disillusionment too. So how will we let them know where we are? None of us will be able to see each other." Draco was still clutching Harry's arm through the Cloak so he could make sure they stayed together.

"Why don't you levitate the coin up against the wall after you activate it? Hermione is pretty smart. She should figure it out."

Draco was a bit doubtful, however. "That might work. Unless someone comes along and tries to grab the coin. If it's just sitting there, I mean."

"It's early. Gringotts is barely open, so there aren't too many people around, at least. It's worth a try. You'll just have to be quick if someone tries to take it."

"Okay, let's go then." Pulling lightly at Harry's arm, Draco stepped back out into Diagon Alley and they moved towards the bank steps where they stopped, Draco moving close so that he blended in better with the brick wall that spanned out from the bottom of the stairs. Not wanting to be too obvious, they moved a few metres away from the steps themselves, and Draco pulled out The DA coin.

"Okay. Ready?" Draco nudged Harry and held the coin out in front of them.

"Ready." At Harry's word Draco rubbed the coin with his thumb and thought hard of Hermione. _Come and find us, Hermione_. He hoped she and Ron were alright and that Hermione would know what to do when her coin activated almost a whole day after they had agreed to meet. After holding the coin for a few more seconds, he levitated it so that it rested against the brick wall next to him, gently glinting in the morning sunlight.

"You know, you do realise that we are two invisible wizards, standing here and waiting for a witch and a wizard who are also likely to be invisible?" Draco grinned to himself as he realised how ludicrous the situation was.

Harry laughed softly. "Yeah, it's like the blind leading the blind."

Draco chuckled and nearly shattered his Disillusionment, but quickly pulled himself together before he could be exposed. They stood there for long minutes, the coin bouncing ever so slightly in the air just millimetres from the brick wall, its gold surface blinking occasionally when the sun hit it at an angle. Only a few people passed by and no one seemed to notice the glinting coin, to Draco's great relief.

After about ten minutes had passed, Draco was just about to suggest they give up, when a sharp crack echoed not far from them. The guards on the steps looked around, but, seeing no one, went back to scanning bank customers.

"Did you hear that?" Draco whispered.

"Yes, but how the bloody hell do we know it's them if we can't see them?"

"You know, your voice is loud enough to wake the dead," a female voice whispered close to Draco's right side. Suddenly, the coin moved and disappeared.

"Hermione?" Harry asked doubtfully, though it had certainly sounded like her voice.

"Harry!" She hissed. "Where are you?"

Harry reached out through the Cloak and took a few steps until he felt something solid in front of him. Touching her arm, he replied, "Here. Is Ron with you?"

"I'm here, Harry. This is really weird!" Ron's voice echoed softly out of nowhere.

"Let's go down to that side alley on the right. We'll be out of sight there." Draco grabbed Harry's arm and moved forward, immediately bumping into something solid.

"Ouch! That was my foot!" Ron hissed in pain.

"Shhhhh! Get a move on, Ron, before someone hears us!" Hermione quickly replied.

Draco and Harry walked quickly down the street and turned into the side alley. Draco ended his Disillusionment at the same time Harry pulled off his Cloak and it wasn't long before the other two joined them.

"God, what happened to you two! We were worried sick!" Hermione started, hands on her hips.

"We nearly got caught by a Death Eater after we left Gringotts," harry replied indignantly. "we're lucky to be here!"

Ron's eyes widened at that. "Bloody hell, who was it? What happened?"

"Travers caught us talking—right here, in fact. I'd taken off my Cloak," Harry answered, glancing around as if he expected the Death Eater to show up again.

"Speaking of which, we should get out of here. Let's do explanations later. I'll Apparate us to our safe place." The others looked at each other and quickly nodded their assent. They each grabbed one of Draco's arms, and within moments he had Apparated them away.

7


	8. Chapter 8: Two Campaigns

Chapter 8: Two Campaigns 

It was still dark when Lucius opened his eyes and it took him some time to orient himself as to his whereabouts. He had no idea how long he'd been out, but judging by the throbbing in his head, it could have been days. He was lying on carpet, not the cold stone floor of the dungeon, and for that, at least, he was thankful. As he peered through the gloom, he could make out the large rectangular shapes of portraits on the walls and a desk by the window. It was difficult to make out much else, but, judging from the size of the room, he guessed he was in Narcissa's private study. Lifting his head a little to get a better view, he winced and quickly brought a hand up to rub at his temple. His head pounded painfully and his mouth was dry, but other than that, he could feel nothing broken, no wounds, at least none that were physical. The Cruciatus Curse was nothing if not efficient in that regard.

He sat up as slowly as he could, his muscles complaining loudly as he did so, and massaged his temples with both hands, digging his fingers in to help release the tension. Once his eyes had adjusted to the darkness, he began to survey the room, assessing his situation. Undoubtedly there were strong protection spells on all the exits and his wand was gone, of course. Still feeling weak, he managed to wave an arm to light the sconces next to the fireplace, and nodded to himself as he saw that he was indeed in his wife's study.

It was a small room and adjoined the private living area she used when not entertaining guests. Eyeing the sofa against the far wall with determination, he painfully rose to his knees and managed to crawl over to it before collapsing against its pillows. Sighing deeply, he closed his eyes and wondered what they had done with Narcissa. He hoped fervently that she had been spared the kind of torture to which he had been subjected.

Without his wand, he was more or less at the mercy of the Dark Lord and the other Death Eaters. Though he could perform a variety of spells with wandless magic, he doubted any of them would be strong enough to break through whatever Dark Magic held him in this room. He tried summoning a house-elf, to no avail, and resigned himself to his prison for the foreseeable future. Drawing on all his strength, he breathed deeply, trying to remain calm. Rest. He needed rest. He had been tortured for what felt like hours in the downstairs parlour, while Narcissa struggled against Nott, who laughed as he held her face so she had to watch as her husband writhed in agony on the floor before her. Putting the image out of his mind, he closed his eyes again and determined to sleep. He would need his strength for what was still to come.

Lucius was just falling into the soft semi-consciousness that comes before true sleep when a popping sound caused his eyes to fly open. Turning his head, he blinked several times before recognising the old house-elf that stood before him.

"Kreacher." Lucius' voice was hoarse. "Where did you come from?" He tried to sit up then, and the old house-elf rushed over to assist him.

"Master Lucius, Kreacher has been sent by Harry Potter to help you and Miss Cissa," Kreacher replied, bowing low. He remained that way until Lucius managed to clear his throat enough to address him again.

"Is Draco with him, Kreacher?" Lucius asked as he sat forward and leaned his elbows tiredly on his knees.

"Oh, yes, Master Lucius, Master Draco is with Harry Potter. I cannot divulge their location, but I am to take you to them--if I can." Kreacher hovered in front of Lucius, wringing his hands and looking worried. Soon he began hopping from foot to foot in agitation.

"What is it, Kreacher?"

"Miss Cissa--it's Miss Cissa. She is still with the others." Kreacher continued to wring his hands, his eyes like huge sad orbs under his droopy eyelids. "Kreacher has had no opportunity to tell her of our plan!" Kreacher buried his face in his hands and began to wail.

"Kreacher, please be quiet!" Lucius snapped, and the old house-elf raised his head and dried his eyes, sniffing pathetically. "Listen to me. How many others?" Lucius continued.

Kreacher thought for a moment before replying confidently, "Two, Master Lucius. But not at the same time. They take turns to watch over her."

Lucius thought for a moment about what they could do. Kreacher could Apparate him to where Draco and Potter were staying, but there was no way he was going to leave his darling Narcissa to the Death Eaters. If they found him gone, they would make her suffer horribly, and she would never get out. The only way out of the situation was for Kreacher to bring Narcissa here and Apparate them both together. But getting past her guard was a problem.

"Kreacher, who is guarding Miss Cissa now?" He leaned forward expectantly as the house-elf cocked his head.

"The wizard called Avery is with Miss Cissa," he said finally, and Lucius sighed with relief. Avery was a drunk and it was highly likely he would be sound asleep on his watch, especially at this hour.

Leaning forward even further, he looked into Kreacher's huge, dark eyes and dropped his voice to a whisper. "Kreacher, there is a very good chance that Avery is asleep. I want you to go to the room where Miss Cissa is being held, but do not Apparate there. It might wake Avery. Try to sneak in the door and wake Miss Cissa as quietly as you can, then Apparate her straight back here. If we are fast, you will be able to Apparate both of us out of here before anyone is the wiser."

"Oh, yes, Master Lucius, sir! Kreacher can be quiet. Kreacher will go to Miss Cissa and bring her here. Then Kreacher will take Master Lucius and Miss Cissa to Harry Potter." Kreacher bowed briefly and disappeared with a soft pop. Lucius sat back against the sofa pillows and shook his head at the irony of being saved by Harry Potter. Never in a million years would he have considered such a situation plausible. His humiliation knew no bounds, he thought ruefully, but then, he would be prepared to suffer an ocean of embarrassment if it saved his beloved wife and son. He sighed and prepared himself to await Kreacher's return.

------------------------

Narcissa was awake and had been for hours, though she pretended to be asleep whenever her current guard walked over to check on her. At this time, she was being guarded by Avery, who was fast asleep in the armchair by the fire, his wand clasped lightly in his hand as it rested in his ample lap. She wrinkled her nose in disgust as she regarded his slack face, mouth agape as his head lolled against the wing of the chair. She was tempted to slip quietly across the room and remove the wand from his loose grip, but knew that if he awoke and caught her, she would be tortured again. She was just contemplating whether it was worth taking the chance when the door cracked open slightly and the small, pointy-eared, bald head of a house-elf appeared around its edge.

Remaining still, she glanced over at Avery through half-closed lids, hoping the stupor that resulted from guzzling her husband's most expensive whiskey would keep him from hearing anything. The diminutive house-elf crept quietly over to her and, seeing she was awake, bowed deeply before whispering, "Miss Cissa. Kreacher has been sent to help you escape."

"Kreacher, where did you come from?" She looked at him, frowning.

"Kreacher has been sent by Harry Potter, who is with young Master Draco. Master Lucius said I must take you to him so you can both escape from here." Kreacher bowed again, then looked at Narcissa closely, waiting for instructions.

"Where is Lucius? Is he alright?" Narcissa sat up and moved to the side of her bed, leaning forward so she could hear Kreacher's whispers.

"Master Lucius is in Miss Cissa's study. I must take you there now." Kreacher held out his arm to Narcissa, who swiftly grasped it, and they Apparated with a quiet pop. Moments later they stood in front of Lucius, who flew off the sofa and pulled his wife into a strong embrace. She melted into his arms, dropping her forehead onto his shoulder, almost sobbing in her relief.

Lucius held her for long moments, then squeezed her once and pulled back, looking serious. "We have to leave, Cissa. Before Avery realises you have gone." She nodded briefly and they both turned to take hold of Kreacher's arm, and, within seconds, they were gone.

--------------------------

The four young people landed awkwardly in the living room of the Malfoy's house in Dover, Draco barely keeping his balance as he steadied himself and looked around to make sure the others were alright. Apparently Side-Along-Apparating three people was rather more taxing than I expected, he thought ruefully as he observed the others sprawled unceremoniously across the carpet.

"Bloody hell, Malfoy, that was a rough trip!" Ron groused as he pulled himself to his feet, rubbing his arse.

Draco grinned and held out a hand to help Hermione up. "Hey, at least I got you here in one piece."

"Yes, thanks, Draco. At least you didn't splinch us." Hermione carefully dusted herself off as she looked gratefully at Draco. "Where are we, by the way?"

Harry had pulled himself up off the floor and had flopped into the squishy couch in front of the fireplace. "This is the Malfoy's seaside cottage." He smirked and glanced sideways at Draco, who merely rolled his eyes.

"We're in Dover, as a matter of fact," Draco elaborated, walking over and dropping into the soft cushions of the couch next to Harry. "This house is well-protected, so we're safe here, at least for the time being." He laid his hand on Harry's thigh and Ron's eyebrows shot into his hair.

Harry looked back at Draco with affection and patted the hand that lay on his leg before turning to Hermione, who was regarding them with some consternation. "Hermione, I think we need to strengthen the protection spells, especially around the perimeter. The place should be unplottable, but we need to be really cautious."

"Okay, no problem. I can help you with that," she replied, narrowing her eyes at Harry, who looked at her innocently.

Suddenly remembering their mission of the previous day, Harry got up and walked over to the mantel to retrieve the suede bag. "Oh, and did I tell you we got the cup?"

"Oh, Harry, thank God! That's fantastic!" Hermione rushed over and hugged him tightly, before taking the cup from him to examine it more closely. "Now we just need to work out how to destroy it," she sighed.

"Why not try the sword again? It worked last time." Ron turned to Harry for confirmation.

"It's worth a try, I suppose," Harry answered, his brow furrowed. "I'm not sure whether we need to use something different for each Horcrux, though. Hermione, what do you think?" Harry moved back to sit on the couch as Hermione continued to examine the cup.

"Let's try the sword. What have we got to lose?" Hermione pulled out her small beaded purse and reached inside. After rummaging around for some moments, she pulled out the sword of Godric Gryffindor and laid it on the table.

"Let's eat first. Who's hungry?" Draco looked around at the others, who nodded in reply. "Good. There's heaps of food in the pantry, but we'll have to fend for ourselves, I'm afraid." Draco slapped Harry's thigh and got up, moving to the kitchen, and Ron and Hermione followed, exchanging meaningful looks.

As they sat around the kitchen table eating roast beef and pickle sandwiches, Harry began to explain the events of the previous day.

"So, Travers saw us in the alley and was about to hex us, but I managed to stun him." Harry took another bite of his sandwich and chewed for a minute before continuing. "We dragged him to the back of the alley and Draco Apparated us here."

"So, you're sure he recognised you?" Ron asked through a mouthful of food.

Hermione gave him a disgusted look and put her own sandwich down. "So now they know you're a traitor." She looked over at Draco sympathetically.

"Yeah. And the repercussions aren't pretty. Harry saw into You-Know-Who's mind and he's been torturing my parents because of me," Draco replied, a shadow passing over his face at the mention of his parents. Harry reached over and patted his leg, looking concerned, and Ron and Hermione exchanged looks once again.

"We've sent Kreacher on reconnaissance to Malfoy Manor. We're hoping to get them out," Harry continued.

"What?" Ron looked almost apoplectic. "You've got to be kidding! Why would we want to help _them_?"

"Ron, Lucius knows Draco defected. He protected him. He only showed up at Shell Cottage to make sure Draco was alright," Harry replied with irritation. "He could have cast an Unforgiveable Curse before we even knew he was there, if he'd wanted to get us. But he didn't."

"But how do you know?" Ron insisted, looked genuinely perplexed.

"Are Bill and Fleur still alive? Have they been invaded by Death Eaters?" Harry looked at Ron witheringly.

Ron looked down sheepishly. "No, we went back after we left the Leaky Cauldron and hid in the woods nearby, but they'd already gone. Bill changed the protection on the house after we told him what happened. They never even knew Death Eaters were there."

"As we suspected. Malfoy senior and Pettigrew could have decimated the place after we left. But they didn't, did they? Why? Because Lucius was just checking to make sure Draco was okay. Draco thinks he probably Obliviated Pettigrew afterwards." Harry glared at Ron and bit savagely into his sandwich.

"Fine. Whatever. We save the Malfoys." Ron rolled his eyes at Hermione, who gave him a stern look. "But what are we going to do about the last Horcrux? We really need to get going on that."

"Ron's right." Hermione nodded and looked around the table. "It's got to be at Hogwarts."

"And it's something to do with Helena Ravenclaw," Harry added. "We should probably start in the Ravenclaw common room."

"How are we going to get into Hogwarts without being seen? I'll bet there are Death Eaters all over Hogsmeade." Draco frowned as he sipped his pumpkin juice. It was highly likely that there were Death Eaters stalking the gates to the school as well. Getting into Hogwarts was not going to be an easy task.

"Harry's Invisibility Cloak and the Disillusionment Charms again?" Hermione raised her eyebrows questioningly as she looked around at the others. "If we somehow could get word to Professor McGonagall, she could let us in the gates."

"The Dark L—You-Know-Who—has probably set strong detection spells around the area," Draco interjected. "Probably got Death Eaters stationed near the school as well." Hermione screwed her face up in thought at that and they continued their meal in silence.

They spent the rest of the afternoon discussing possible disruptions to their plan and strategies to avoid them. It was going to be a very difficult task getting into the castle, but there was no way they could avoid it if they wanted to secure the last Horcrux. Hermione insisted they try to get word to McGonagall, but Harry and Ron both thought an owl would be intercepted and therefore unlikely to reach her, not to mention alerting Snape to their presence.

Draco suggested one of the tunnels that led from Hogsmeade to the castle. The others agreed that seemed the most plausible solution, assuming Snape hadn't closed off all the tunnel exits at the school. In the end, they decided to just Apparate to Hogsmeade and see what their options were. It was risky, but there was no other way. Having settled on a plan, they sat back and discussed when they should go.

"Might as well go tonight," Harry suggested. "No point in waiting is there? And it will be easier to hide from Death Eaters in the dark."

Hermione nodded. "Good idea. Let's make it after curfew though, so there will be as few people around as possible." The others agreed and with their plan in place, Hermione went off to the kitchen to make tea, dragging Ron with her.

After a light supper, they decided it would be wise to get some sleep and meet up in the living room again at midnight. Draco showed Ron and Hermione to bedrooms on the second floor before retiring to his own room to shower and rest. It was barely six o'clock and he didn't know if he'd be able to sleep. It was still light outside, so he closed the heavy drapes and lit the candles, which gave the room a soft glow.

He showered quickly and slipped into bed, setting the clock on his nightstand for eleven-thirty.He had just settled into his pillows after whispering, "Nox" to extinguish the lights when the door cracked open and light filtered in to show Harry padding quietly in to the room. He closed the door carefully behind him. Draco smiled at him through the gloom and patted the bed and Harry slipped in beside him, snuggling close.

"I hope you don't mind," Harry said as he pulled the covers over them both.

"Of course not. Come here." Harry scooted over and Draco wrapped his arms around the other boy and they lay close, their breath mingling and their faces so close they were almost touching. They lay like that for several minutes, just enjoying the warmth of their embrace, before Harry leaned forward slightly and pressed his lips against Draco's. After a few moments, he sighed and pulled back slightly. "Okay?" he breathed and Draco answered by reaching a hand behind the other boy's neck to gently pull him back into another kiss. Parting his lips slightly, Draco nibbled on Harry's bottom lip before gently sliding his tongue between the other boy's lips. Harry met it eagerly with his own and wrapped his arms tighter around Draco as they tasted each other, lips and tongues sucking and sliding seductively, gradually building into a heated passion that left them both breathless.

Draco was the first to pull back, gasping for air, but Harry moved to explore the soft pale skin of Draco's neck with his tongue. Draco groaned when the other boy nibbled his ear, a shot of desire running straight to his groin. Harry responded by sucking feverishly at Draco's neck until he thought he would die from the pure bliss of it, and when a hand moved under Draco's t-shirt to gently caress the skin of his stomach and chest, leaving a trail of gooseflesh in its wake, he shuddered.

Draco had never done anything more than snog a few girls at school, which he hadn't really enjoyed, if truth be told, and this new passion was proving to be almost overwhelming in its intensity. He was in bed with Harry, and Harry was kissing and caressing him in ways he had only dreamed of. It was as if all his dreams had come true at once and he marvelled at the feel of the other boy in his arms. He stroked Harry's hair as the other boy continued his worshipful touches, sliding his hands through the surprisingly soft black strands before moving down to feel the firm muscles of Harry's back through his thin t-shirt. When he reached the hem of the shirt, he slid his hands under and up over Harry's bare skin, gently massaging the skin of the other boy's back as Harry lifted his head to capture his lips once again.

Harry groaned against Draco's mouth and, running his hand down Draco's side until he reached his hip, pulled him in closer until he could feel Harry's arousal against his own. Draco gasped as desire overwhelmed him and pulled back, panting, to look Harry in the face.

Harry lifted a hand to stroke Draco's neck. "What's the matter? You okay?"

Draco closed his eyes and swallowed, trying to regain his breath. After a few moments he opened his eyes to see Harry looking at him with concern. "I'm fine. I-I just never…." He closed his eyes again and sighed deeply, not knowing what to say. He wanted Harry so much, but it was too fast and it scared him to death. Just days ago Harry hated him, and now here they were in each other's arms. "Harry, I… I've never done this before," he finished lamely, feeling completely foolish. But soon Harry's lips were on his again, this time, softly, chastely, as if reassuring him.

"It's okay." Harry's breath huffed against Draco's mouth as he continued to stroke Draco's back under the shirt. "I haven't either. We don't have to, tonight. I just want to be with you." Harry kissed him again before leaning back and drawing Draco's head to rest against his shoulder.

Draco sighed and snuggled into the other boy, wrapping his arms tightly around Harry's waist. "Harry," he sighed as Harry stroked his hair.

"S'okay. Get some sleep." Draco snuggled closer then, draping his leg over Harry's possessively and they both drifted off to sleep.

9


	9. Chapter 9: Dissension and Alliance

Chapter 9: Dissension and Alliance

It was getting close to midnight when Ron glanced up from his tea to check the clock. Hermione was busy cutting a pear into slices, but when she saw Ron checking the time yet again, she stopped and put her knife down.

"I'm sure they'll be down in a minute, Ron. I know we said midnight but it doesn't matter if we leave a bit later, does it?" She picked up a sliver of fruit and popped it into her mouth, licking her fingers where the juice had dribbled.

"They better get a move on." Ron wore an irritated look as he got up from the table, his chair scraping noisily against the tiled floor. "I'm going up to wake them." Hermione rolled her eyes as he stormed out of the room, muttering under his breath.

"Harry's probably just in the bathroom," she called after him. "You know how long he takes."

Ron strode across the living room to the front hall and proceeded up the stairs two at a time till he reached the first floor landing. Harry's room was second on the right and it was there he headed first. Pushing the door open, he strode in, ready to haul Harry out of bed, but stopped dead when he saw the bed was empty. Walking over to the ensuite door, he knocked several times and yelled, "Harry, hurry up! We're waiting for you." There was no answer, so he knocked again before carefully opening the door to peer in. The bathroom was empty.

"What the bloody hell…?" he muttered to himself as he strode back out to the hall and proceeded to Draco's room, thinking that perhaps Harry had stopped by to discuss their plan some more. The door was shut, but Ron's irritation caused him to ignore that fact and he threw the door open with force and stormed into Draco's bedroom. Seeing a lump in the bed amongst the plush covers and pillows, he swore and marched over to drag Draco out of bed.

"Time to get up, Malfoy. It's nearly midnight!" Ron pulled back the covers roughly and nearly fainted on the spot when Harry's head appeared next to Draco's. "Fucking hell! What's going on here?" Harry's eyes fluttered slightly before opening to see Ron backing away towards the door.

"Ron? Did I oversleep?" Harry sat up and rubbed his eyes blearily. At the sound of Harry's voice, Draco rolled over and wrapped his arm around Harry's waist before pulling the covers back up over his head.

Ron had almost reached the door, his eyes wide and his face deathly pale. "Oh, God, gouge my eyes out now!" Shutting his eyes tightly, he rubbed them hard before turning and running from the room, slamming the door hard behind him.

---------------

Harry pulled the covers from Draco's face and grinned ruefully. "That went well."

Draco groaned as he opened his eyes and rolled over onto his back, stretching his arms above his head lazily. "Luckily, you're the all-powerful Boy Who Lived. I think I'm going to need a body-guard."

Harry leaned over and kissed him, gently pushing the tousled blond hair back from his face. "He'll get over it," he replied as he scooted back under the covers and draped himself around Draco. "Mmmm. Do we have to get up?"

"Unfortunately, yes. Although, after that lovely wake-up call, perhaps it would be wise to just spell the doors shut and barricade ourselves in here." Draco rolled over onto his side, the better to snuggle against Harry's warm chest. "Mmmmm. Yes, I think that's a splendid idea," he mumbled against Harry's shoulder.

"God, you look even more gorgeous with bed-hair." Harry sighed as he ruffled the blond hair that was tickling his chin. "And you'd better stop that or we'll never get to Hogsmeade." He lifted Draco's hand away from where it had been stroking his chest, and kissed the top of his head. "Come on. We'd better go face the music." Harry reluctantly dragged himself away from Draco's cosy embrace and hopped out of bed.

Draco sighed in resignation and sat up. "Okay. I'll come by and get you on my way down. I am definitely not going down there alone!"

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Swearing profusely to himself, Ron turned on his heel and flew down the stairs, practically running across the living room before bursting through the kitchen door. Hermione looked up, startled, when he flopped into a chair and buried his head in his hands.

"Ron! What's the matter?" She leaned across the table and pulled a hand away from Ron's face. Looking up at her, he just groaned before dropping his forehead onto the table with a thud. "Ron, what's going on? Is Harry alright?" Hermione started to get up from the table, but Ron grabbed her arm and looked up at her again.

"Harry… H-Harry…," he stuttered, his voice hoarse. "I found them... oh, God, I found them... in bed. Together!" Hermione blinked several times in confusion as Ron's head dropped back to the table and he groaned again.

"What are you talking about? Ron?" She shook his arm until he finally lifted his head again.

"They. Were. In bed. Together." He frowned at Hermione, who was shaking her head.

"I don't understand. I—Ooohhh…." Her eyes grew wide as realisation dawned. "Oh, they were sleeping together! Oh, how sweet is that?" She sighed and smiled over at Ron, who looked at her, horrified. "What? I think they're cute." She shrugged and went back to her meal.

"Hermione!" Ron huffed irritably. "It's Malfoy! And Harry! Malfoy, Hermione! Oh, God, I don't even want to think about it." He leaned forward and put his head in his hands for a few moments, before looking up suddenly. "And since when has Harry been gay, for God's sake? I thought he liked Ginny?"

Hermione rolled her eyes and crossed her arms as she sat back in her chair. "Honestly, Ronald, does it matter? Harry's your friend. And he broke up with Ginny, remember?"

Ron sighed and picked up his tea to take a sip. "I don't care about the gay part. It's the Malfoy part that gets me. That git! Harry hates him! He must be under a Love Potion."

"Oh, grow up, Ron. Draco is gorgeous." She ignored Ron's jealous grunt. "And he's on our side now. So what's the problem?" Ron continued to pout, so Hermione got up from the table and began to clear the dishes in an attempt to ignore him.

Just then the door burst open and Harry walked into the kitchen, Draco trailing slightly behind. "Sorry we're late. Overslept." Seating himself at the table, he picked up some bread and began to butter it, ignoring Ron's obvious snit.

"You'd better hurry up and eat if we're going to Hogsmeade tonight." Hermione poured more boiling water into the tea pot and set it down in front of Draco, flashing a quick smile and a wink at him as she did so. Draco raised his eyebrows in surprise, but didn't say anything as he poured his tea and began to pile his plate up.

Ron looked from Harry to Draco with narrowed eyes, but quickly got up when Hermione nudged him in the back with her elbow. "Yeah, we better get going," he muttered as he hurried out of the room.

Hermione rolled her eyes as she watched him leave and turned to pat Harry's arm. "Don't worry about him. He's just in shock. He'll come around." She held up the pot then. "More tea?"

Suddenly, there was a loud crack from the direction of the living room, and all three looked towards the door in alarm. Moments later, Ron burst into the kitchen again, his arms waving wildly.

"That is it! I can't take anymore!" he ranted as he paced across the floor. "One more bloody Malfoy and I am going to cast an Unforgivable Curse on someone!" The door behind him opened again, this time more gently, and Kreacher appeared, leading Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy into the room.

"Father!" Draco's chair nearly fell over as he got up, a shocked look on his face.

"Draco!" Narcissa swept over to the table to embrace Draco, tears of relief stinging her eyes. "Thank God you're alright."

Draco put his arms around her and kissed her cheek. "I'm sorry I left like that. I know you've been worried," he said as she pulled away and looked into his face.

"You look well, son." Lucius walked over to join his wife. "It seems Mr Potter and his friends have been taking good care of you." Draco took a step forward to hug his father. Lucius grasped him briefly before pulling away to look at Harry. "I believe I have you to thank for our rescue."

Harry stood up and moved around the table to stand in front of Lucius. "It was Kreacher's doing, really. We never expected him to rescue you so quickly." Harry turned to Kreacher and smiled. "Thank you, Kreacher. You did a wonderful job."

Kreacher puffed his chest out proudly and bowed. "Anything to serve Harry Potter." Standing straight again, he moved away from the group and began to spell the dirty dishes clean.

"Nevertheless, my wife and I thank you for your efforts. They were most timely." Lucius bowed slightly, his face slightly flushed.

Harry shifted uncomfortably. "It was the least we could do. Draco saved us from certain death at the hands of You-Know-Who. He risked his own life. And you let us go at the cottage in Cornwall. All in all, I'd say we're even." Harry smiled slightly and Lucius inclined his head in acknowledgement.

Ron cleared his throat then and they all looked at his annoyed face. "I still don't like this. How do we know we can trust them?"

Hermione nudged him sharply in the ribs. "Ron! This is the Malfoys' house! Show some manners please." She looked back to the others and rolled her eyes. "Please excuse him," she said, addressing Lucius and Narcissa. "He's had a rather stressful evening. And this is rather awkward, to say the least."

"That's perfectly understandable," Narcissa replied calmly. "This is hardly the circumstances under which we would normally meet." A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth as she looked over at Draco, who chuckled silently as he suddenly appreciated the ludicrousness of the situation.

"I wish I could see the look on You-Know-Who's face when he finds out you've escaped." Harry looked over at Lucius with a cheeky grin.

"Yeah, I suppose there's that. He'll have a bloody fit!" Ron conceded with a smirk, and they all burst out laughing.

-----------------

It wasn't much later when they adjourned to the living room, where Kreacher produced a tray with tea and cakes for them all. The arrival of Draco's parents caused a disruption in the plans of the four younger inhabitants of the house, so they had decided to postpone their trip to Hogsmeade for the time being.

Although the conversation was somewhat stilted to begin with, Harry eventually realised just how much providence had smiled on them that day as Lucius began to relate the latest happenings at Malfoy Manor. Harry had been making a concerted effort to block Voldemort out of his mind in recent weeks, a worthy pursuit in that it gave Harry some peace. But this endeavour also resulted in the discontinuation of his monitoring of Voldemort's movements and his plans for acquiring the Elder Wand. Lucius and Narcissa were most forthcoming with information that could assist them in that regard, as well as in planning their excursion to Hogwarts.

"There are Death Eaters stationed in Hogsmeade and near the gates to the school." Lucius informed them. "The Dark Lord is expecting you to try to enter Hogwarts at any time."

"We were planning to go tonight," Draco replied, frowning. "We were going to Apparate to Hogsmeade under Disillusionment Charms and try to sneak in through one of the tunnels."

"Snape has closed all the tunnels." Lucius looked around at them seriously. "And Hogsmeade is very dangerous at this time. There are not only Death Eaters patrolling the place, but they have set a Caterwauling Charm on the village that will alert them the moment you arrive."

Harry's face fell at this news and, as he looked around at the others, he could see they were clearly disappointed as well. Getting into Hogwarts was beginning to seem like an impossible task.

Eventually, at around four a.m., Narcissa excused herself for the evening and Lucius followed. The others began to yawn soon after and it wasn't long before they were all heading for their rooms. This time Harry went straight to Draco's room with him, grinning sheepishly when Hermione winked at him.

Once they were behind closed doors, Draco quickly changed into his pyjamas and crawled into bed. "You look tired." He patted the bed and Harry walked over, stripping down to his boxers and t-shirt on the way. Climbing into bed next to Draco, he lay back against the pillows and sighed. "What's up?" Draco asked, rolling onto his side and propping his head on his hand.

"I just don't know how we're going to get into Hogwarts." Harry turned his head to look at the other boy, marvelling at how gorgeous he was, even in his pyjamas and with tousled hair.

Draco reached over and pulled Harry towards him, wrapping his arms around him so that Harry rested almost atop of him. Harry sighed again and nuzzled his face in Draco's neck. Draco smelled like expensive cologne and Harry drank in the aroma as if it were pure oxygen. He could lay like this forever, feeling the gentle rise and fall of Draco's chest under his and the pulse of his heartbeat against his ear.

It had been a strange couple of days and Harry still didn't quite understand what had happened. He only knew that when he had stepped into Draco's mind that first day he had been overwhelmed by the emotion he'd felt there. It was as if he had come home and it felt heavenly. Harry didn't understand it, but he knew there was some deep connection between them that seemed, ever since that moment, to draw him inexorably into the arms of the beautiful blond wizard beneath him.

Harry gently kissed the skin of Draco's neck. He savoured the taste and the smell of his skin, nuzzling the soft, barely-there stubble on his chin. He wanted to melt into the softness of that skin, to drink from it until he was replete with that essence. The feel of Draco's hands on the bare skin of his back, the gently huffing breath against his forehead, the soft-as-silk skin under his own hands, all washed over him, overwhelming him with emotions he couldn't even begin to describe.

It all made sense, so much sense, and as Harry lifted his head to touch his lips to Draco's, he felt the vibration of a soft moan in the back of his throat and silently gave himself over to bliss.


	10. Chapter 10: Secret Passage

A/N: Parts of this chapter towards the end are very close to DH Ch.28. I fully acknowledge that this is JKR's plot as well as the characters and use it only as a device to get to the next part of my story. I have used three short pieces of dialogue word for word from that chapter, but the rest is the story told in my own words. No infringement of copyright is intended. I have footnoted the three excerpts in acknowledgement.

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**Chapter 10: Secret Passage**

The aroma of frying bacon made Draco's mouth water as he opened the door to the kitchen. Harry, Ron and Hermione were already sitting at the table, sipping tea and looking over some kind of map. Draco pulled out the chair next to Harry and helped himself to a steaming cup of tea before sitting down and leaning over curiously to see what they were looking at.

"It's a map of Hogsmeade." Harry moved the map towards Draco so the latter could see it better. "We're trying to find a way into the castle," he added by way of explanation.

"But what about the Caterwauling Charm?" Draco frowned as he looked around at the others.

"We'll Apparate under Disillusionment Charms again, but we'll go before curfew. Even if the alarm goes off, they won't be able to see us." Hermione pointed to a place on the map. "Harry thinks we should disguise ourselves and get a room at the Hog's Head. Once it's light and the curfew is lifted, we can sneak over to the Shrieking Shack."

"Why would we go to the Shrieking Shack?" Draco was still frowning in confusion. "I thought that place was haunted."

"There's a tunnel from the Shrieking Shack that comes out at the roots of the Whomping Willow," Harry replied, moving his hand over the map to show Draco the tunnel's route. "And it's not haunted. That's just an old wives' tale."

"How do you know this stuff?" Draco looked at Harry in amazement, shaking his head.

"We've been there." Harry shrugged.

"Do you people _ever_ do anything that _isn't_ against the rules?" Draco sat back in his chair and crossed his arms in mock annoyance.

Harry smirked in reply. "You're not the only one who can think like a Slytherin. Hermione's cat, Crookshanks, showed us how to get in."

"A cat. Showed you how to get in." Draco rolled his eyes and they all burst out laughing.

"I suppose it sounds rather ridiculous when you put it like that," Ron replied in between guffaws. "But seriously," he added as their laughter subsided. "We saw how the cat touched a bit of root to make the Willow stop Whomping. The entrance is between the roots."

"Okay, so we Apparate to the street near the Hog's Head tonight. What if the Hog's Head has some kind of detection spell on it?" Draco didn't enjoy playing Devil's Advocate, but he couldn't help but feel uneasy about their plan.

"Why would Death Eaters put spells on the Hog's Head?" Hermione answered. "It's just an old pub, run by some crabby old bloke who probably sleeps in the bar. They'd have to spell every building in the town for that to make sense. And I doubt the barman would allow Death Eaters to work from his place."

"Ah, the bane of being a Death Eater." Draco grinned. "It's social suicide." The others laughed again, but stopped abruptly when the door opened and Lucius walked in.

He stopped and narrowed his eyes slightly as they quickly covered their laughter by turning back to the map. "Good to see you all in such high spirits," Lucius remarked as he walked over to stand beside Draco. "What have we here?" He leaned over the table to inspect the map and Draco quickly explained their plan.

"The Hog's Head is run by Aberforth Dumbledore." He pulled a chair out and sat down. "I hear he wasn't on very good terms with his brother. He might not be too happy if he finds you there."

"We're planning to wear disguises." Harry looked around the others, concern showing on his face. "In any case, I doubt he's a supporter of You-Know-Who. Dumbledore would have said, wouldn't he? He didn't talk about his brother much, but it didn't seem to me that they were enemies or anything."

Ron nodded in agreement. "He might even help us. But maybe we should have a strategy of escape just in case. We can always Apparate straight back here if he becomes hostile."

"Right. I think that's a good idea, Ron." Hermione leaned over and patted Ron's arm and he rolled his eyes.

"I do have some good ideas now and then, Hermione." Ron huffed and folded his arms.

Lucius leaned back in his chair and looked around at the three Gryffindors. "I really don't like the idea of you dragging my son into such danger." Draco opened his mouth to object, but Lucius raised a hand to stop him. "I am going with you."

Loud objections immediately erupted around the table at this piece of news. "But you can't go to Hogwarts. They all think you're a Death Eater!" Harry cried, looking at the others for help.

"Harry's right, father, you'll be recognised." Draco looked at his father anxiously. "You're wanted by both sides now. You can't go—you should hide out."

"I am well aware that the entire wizarding world is now against me." Lucius sighed and rubbed his eyes. "However, I will not let you run off on some half-baked mission without some protection."

"But you might as well sign your own death warrant!" Draco was almost pleading with him now. "What was the point in saving you if you're going to go off and get killed anyway?"

"I shall disguise myself, of course," Lucius replied calmly. "And so will your mother."

Draco stood up then, kicking his chair back. "No! You can't put her in danger again!" He looked down at his father furiously, but Lucius remained unruffled. "Where is she? I'm going to talk to her!" Draco pushed his chair away savagely and turned toward the door, but was restrained by a firm hand on his arm.

"Wait." Lucius pulled on Draco's arm until the latter turned back to him. "She will insist on going. She's already lost you once and I doubt she'll be content to let you go out there by yourself."

Draco continued to look doubtful, but sat down once again. He stared down at the table for a few moments without saying anything. Lucius removed his hand but continued to gaze at his son. After several long moments, Draco lifted his head and looked at Harry. "I guess if they want to come, we can't stop them."

Harry looked back sympathetically and shrugged. "It's up to them." Turning to Lucius then, he frowned. "You won't want the Carrows to spot you. I doubt they'd have any qualms about handing you over to You-Know-Who."

"Indeed. We shall also be avoiding Snape, of course," Lucius replied. "It will be difficult, but not impossible. I do believe I am amply prepared to protect Narcissa and myself. And you, Draco." He turned to Draco, placing a hand gently on his arm this time.

"Uh, Snape's on our side." Harry shifted uncomfortably in his seat as Lucius' eyes shot back at him incredulously.

A look of dawning awareness crossed Lucius' face. "I knew it! I always suspected him of being a traitor." After a moment his face relaxed, though, and he began chuckling gleefully. "Oh, what poetic justice that is. The Dark Lord never suspected a thing. Good old Severus. Wait till I get my hands on him!"

"That should be interesting," Hermione commented, smirking at the others. "I can't wait to see the look on his face."

They spent the rest of the morning refining their plan to enter Hogsmeade. Narcissa joined them as they ate breakfast and assured them that her staying behind was completely out of the question. It was decided that they all should disguise themselves so that they could enter the bar without causing any disruption. Lucius and Narcissa would also carry hooded cloaks to shield them from prying eyes once they reached Hogwarts.

The Apparition was planned for seven that evening, giving them ample time to prepare their disguises. Hermione managed to transform Ron's hair into a longer, darker style to partly hide his face, which was now also free of freckles. When she added a moustache for good measure, Harry burst out laughing and shook his head in amusement.

Draco's hair, which was his most identifiable trait, was changed to dark-brown and grown long. Hermione had a little trouble trying to spell his skin to a more olive shade, but eventually he stood before them looking passably Mediterranean. Harry's hair was also grown long and Hermione cast a temporary vision-improvement spell on him so he could see without his glasses, transforming his eyes brown as she did so. With the addition of traditional wizarding robes over their street clothes, the three boys looked completely different, at least to the casual observer.

Finally turning to her own disguise, Hermione spelled her hair into a messy, honey-blonde style that covered her face admirably. She also conjured a pair of fake glasses to cover her eyes and donned some of Narcissa's old street robes. The effect was passably convincing, the others thought.

They had agreed to meet down in the living room at a quarter to seven and Lucius and Narcissa were already waiting for them when they walked down the stairs at the allotted time. Narcissa's hair was dark and curly like her sister's and she had transformed the sharp angles of her face and mouth into softer, plumper lines, making her look more like a traditional English rose.

Lucius had contented himself with transforming the colour of his hair to black and cropping it to shoulder length. Both his and Narcissa's robes were far from the regal quality they usually wore, and both had donned cloaks. After looking around at each other approvingly, the group moved to the front hall.

"I will Side-Along-Apparate Narcissa," Lucius took his wife's arm and she moved closer. "You four go first and wait for us in the bar of the Hog's Head."

"I'll take Ron and Draco can take you, Harry. It's less dangerous than taking three Side-Along." Hermione moved over to Ron as the others nodded and cast a Disillusionment Charm on them both. Within seconds there was a loud crack as they Apparated. Draco followed with Harry, and, after a few minutes, the elder Malfoys followed suit.

Draco and Harry arrived in Hogsmeade to the sound of sirens. Moving quickly into the shadows, they frantically searched the street as they made their way towards the Hog's Head.

"Oh, God, they were waiting for us!" Draco whispered as the sounds of running footsteps echoed down the street towards them. "Quick, we have to get off the street!"

"They've got to be here somewhere," A deep voice shouted as a group of Death Eaters appeared around the corner, brandishing wands. "Accio Cloak!" Harry was glad he had decided to cast a Disillusionment Charm instead of wearing the Cloak. He clutched at the Cloak, which was tucked inside his robes, but it didn't respond to the summoning spell.

Draco fumbled for Harry's arm and began dragging him down the street. Harry stumbled as they proceeded towards the Hog's Head and his shoe flicked a stone loudly across the street.

"There they are! See that? They must be close!" Several men came from the other direction and Draco looked around in alarm as it appeared they were almost surrounded. Searching the area anxiously, he noticed a gap in the buildings and quickly slipped into its darkness, pulling Harry in with him. They stood with their backs against the wall as the men ran by, still cursing and yelling.

Draco's breath was coming in gasps and his heart was pounding in his chest. He felt along the wall for Harry and, as he grasped his hand, he could feel the other's pulse was as fast as his own. The street beyond their hiding place was alight with flashes of red and green and Draco groaned softly at the thought of his parents Apparating into the middle of it. More Death Eaters swarmed past them and Draco pushed himself as far back against the wall as he could, grasping Harry's hand with force.

Finally, the chaos subsided and he relaxed, breathing deeply as he tried to refill his tortured lungs. "Do you think they've gone?" He turned toward Harry, who moved closer to him and hugged him tightly.

"Oh, God, I thought we were gone there for a minute!" Harry hissed in his ear. "I wonder what happened to the others."

Draco was about to reply when a door opened to their right and a voice whispered through the dark. "Quick, in here." An old man appeared in the opening, crooking a finger to beckon them, and they quickly slipped past him through the door. The old man carefully scanned the street before closing the door behind him. Draco ended his Disillusionment and grooming charms and turned to the old man in question as Harry did the same.

"Through here." The man gestured to the hall and they followed him silently out of the room and down the corridor to a stairwell. "The others are up there," The old man pointed to the first floor and they obediently climbed the stairs and followed him through the first door to their left. Ron and Hermione were waiting inside and Hermione flew over to hug Harry as they entered the room.

"Thank God you're safe." She stood back uncertainly then, looking around them to the doorway. "Where're you're parents, Draco?"

"We didn't see them. I don't know how long they waited to Apparate after we left. They could have appeared right in the middle of it." Draco rubbed his forehead worriedly and Hermione frowned.

"We were watching from the window and we didn't see the Death Eaters capture anyone. Maybe they Apparated back to the house." Hermione looked from Harry to Draco hopefully, but didn't sound convinced.

"Is that them down there?" Ron's voice drifted over from where he was standing by the window, the curtain pulled back slightly with one hand as he peered down into the street. The others moved over to stand behind him and Draco gasped as he saw two hooded figures move stealthily toward the door to the Hog's Head.

"I'll go get them." The old man left the room again, closing the door behind him. Draco sat on the edge of an old armchair and put his head in his hands.

"Hey, are you okay?" Harry moved over to sit on the arm of the chair and gently rubbed Draco's back. The latter boy nodded but didn't look up, so Harry continued to gently massage his taut shoulders and neck. Draco felt as if he had lived a hundred lifetimes in the past week and was sure he'd had enough excitement to last him for eternity. Sighing heavily, he leaned back against Harry and closed his eyes. Harry responded immediately by reaching around his shoulders with one arm and squeezing him tightly.

Several minutes later, the door opened abruptly and Lucius and Narcissa entered, the old man trailing behind them. "It seems we have been rescued yet again," Lucius nodded towards the old man. "Thank you, Aberforth." Their grooming charms were still intact and the old man didn't seem to realise who they were.

"Don' mention it," Aberforth grunted in reply.

"You're Dumbledore's brother!" Hermione moved forward to look at him more closely. He was tall like his brother, with long grey hair and beard, and his eyes were the same sparkling blue. "Of course. We should have recognised you."

"Well spotted," he replied before turning back to Lucius. "You'd do well to keep that hood up, Mr. Malfoy. I'm sure the Death Eaters would have a picnic if they found you."

Lucius frowned at the recognition, but didn't say anything, and the old man moved to sit on the edge of the sofa.

"That mirror." Harry got up off the arm of the chair and moved over to the mantel, where a small square of mirror leaned against a clock. "This belonged to Sirius." He spun around to face Aberforth. "Where did you get it?" Harry fingered the sliver of mirror that still lay in the pouch around his neck as he looked at the other man questioningly.

"Albus gave it to me before he died. I've been watching you all year. Keeping my eye on you, I have. You don't take your piece out of that pouch very often, though. I haven't had much of a chance to find out what you've been doing." He huffed as he walked over to the mirror. He glanced at it briefly before turning back to the others. "Now what are you all doing here? This is no place for the likes of you lot. You'd best be Apparating straight back to where you came from. There's nothing but trouble here."

"But we've got to get to Hogwarts! There's something there we need to find." Harry turned to the others for support.

Hermione moved forward, a pleading look on her face. "That's right. We need to go to the castle. We were thinking of going through the Shrieking Shack."

Aberforth groaned and shook his head dolefully. "No, ye can't be going there. It's overrun by Death Eaters." Walking over to the mantle again, he looked up at the portrait of a young girl hanging over it. He stood there for a few moments before turning and frowning solemnly. "Go back where ye came from. Ye shouldn't be here."

"But we're on a quest for Dumbledore. We have to go to Hogwarts to find something," Harry replied defiantly.

"That old berk.(1) He only had his own interests at heart. He was using you," the old man grunted at Harry.

"I don't believe it. Dumbledore loved Harry,(2)" said Hermione quietly.

Aberforth grumbled some more before finally turning back to the portrait. "What do you think, Ariana?"

The girl in the portrait had been listening quietly, but when Aberforth spoke she leaned forward with a shy smile. "Let them through, Aberforth."

He nodded back at her. "Go and get him." She turned then and walked towards the back of the portrait, as if she were walking down a long hallway. Eventually she disappeared from sight. Within moments, she reappeared in the distance with another figure. They grew larger and larger as they walked towards the room, until their faces became visible and they eventually became life size. Ariana stopped when she reached the portrait edge and a tall, dark-haired boy stepped out from behind her to jump out of the frame and down over the mantelpiece.

Neville hooted with joy when he caught sight of the group. "I knew you'd come. I knew it, Harry!"(3)

-------------------

This sentence from DH, p.454. Bloomsbury UK Edition

This line from DH, p. 458. Bloomsbury UK Edition.

This line from DH, p.459. Bloomsbury UK Edition.

9


	11. Chapter 11: Hunting the Horcrux

**Chapter 11: Hunting the Horcrux**

Draco took in the reunion with studied calm, knowing at any moment he was about to be subjected to the, "Oh, no! Not Malfoy!" speech. If he was honest with himself, he had to admit he deserved such treatment, having nearly ended up the pawn of the Dark Lord only days prior, but it still annoyed him that people found it so difficult to believe he might have any good in him. Sighing inwardly, he straightened his shoulders and prepared for the onslaught.

"Neville! Where did you come from?" Harry looked incredulous as Neville grasped him tightly before turning to hug the others. He stopped when he came to Draco and jerked back with a start.

"Malfoy?" Neville turned to Harry, frowning. "What's he doing here, Harry?"

"Draco's switched sides," Harry replied carefully. When Neville started to object, he quickly added, "He saved us, Neville. We were captured by Death Eaters at Malfoy Manor and Draco got us out."

Neville looked around at the others doubtfully, then did a double take as he took in Malfoy senior, who still looked very much like himself in spite of his disguise. "Bloody hell, you're not--?" He turned back to Harry, his face pale and his eyebrows raised in silent question.

"Uh, they've switched sides too, mate." Harry grinned slightly and shrugged. Neville furrowed his brow as if it was all too much to take in. "This is Mrs Malfoy." Harry turned to Narcissa with a slight wave of his arm and Neville turned to regard her curiously. "Mr and Mrs Malfoy, this is Neville Longbottom," Harry said.

"I'm pleased to make your acquaintance." Narcissa held out her hand, but Neville continued to stand stock still with his mouth hanging open. Lucius remained where he was, coolly regarding the shocked young man in front of him as if it were an everyday occurrence for someone to be jumping out of a portrait in a room above the Hog's Head.

After a few moments, Narcissa withdrew her hand. Neville started and blinked a few times before shaking his head and turning back to Harry, his brows furrowed again.

"Look Neville, they're here to help. Trust me when I say they are not a threat," Harry reassurd the stricken boy, who eventually nodded.

"If you say so, Harry. I don't know what the others will say, though." Neville shifted nervously as he looked around at the group, but Ron just shrugged with a resigned look and the others remained quiet.

"So, you didn't answer my question, Neville," Harry reminded him, slightly too loudly, in an attempt to cover the awkward silence.

Neville looked at him then. "Wha--?" After a few moments he shook his head and came to himself. "What question?"

"Where've you come from?" Harry repeated patiently.

"Oh…. Oh! The portrait covers a tunnel that leads to the Room of Requirement at Hogwarts." Neville looked around at the others, suddenly becoming animated again. "It's the only way into Hogwarts now. Come on, I'll take you through." He walked back over to the portrait and pulled up a chair, beckoning Hermione to step up and into the picture.

She looked at him warily but stepped up to the chair, looking round at the others for reassurance. Harry nodded at her hesitantly and she stepped over the frame to join Ariana in the portrait.

After Hermione stepped through, Ron, Draco and Harry quickly followed, the elder Malfoys bringing up the rear. Neville jumped up after them, leaving Aberforth behind, grumbling, to seal off the portrait.

"How on earth did you find this?" Harry asked as they hurried along the tunnel in the semi-dark, the only light coming from their lit wands.

"I think the Room of Requirement created it for us. We needed to find food and this led us to the Hog's Head. Aberforth has been supplying us with food for weeks now." Neville was beaming at them excitedly as they trod the smooth stone path.

"Us? Who else have you got in there?" Ron was puffing slightly as the path suddenly became steeper.

"Oh, we're almost there. It's just up ahead a bit." Neville rushed ahead and opened the door to let them through. They piled through the opening into a large, festive-looking room decorated in the four house colours and sporting several overstuffed sofas and armchairs around a cosy-looking fireplace.

"Harry." A delighted squeal greeted them as they stepped into the room and Luna rushed up to throw herself at Harry, nearly knocking him over. "I knew you'd come." She beamed at him as she led him over to one of the couches. The only other person in the room was Pansy, who was sitting in the armchair closest to the fire. Draco grinned when he saw her.

"Oh, my God!" She jumped up when she saw him and marched over to punch him in the arm with force. "You had us worried sick, you bloody prat!" Draco hugged her warmly and she rolled her eyes before giving in and hugging him back. When they broke apart, she put her hands on her hips crossly. "And when your parents disappeared, we'd thought you'd all been killed."

"Take it easy, Pansy! We're all fine!" He turned and indicated his parents, who lowered their hoods when they realised they were in no immediate danger.

"Mr and Mrs Malfoy!" Pansy grinned and clapped her hands gleefully when she saw them.

"Pansy! So lovely to see you here," Narcissa replied, turning to smile at her husband, who nodded at Pansy politiely

"So, looks like you defected too, eh?" Draco stood back and looked at her measuringly. "Who'd have thought?" He smirked when she hit him again. "Ouch! You brute!"

Hermone and Luna were chatting animatedly as the others moved to seat themselves around the fire. "Is this it, then?" Harry asked as he seated himself in an overstuffed armchair.

"No, there are others, but they're all undercover," Neville replied. When Harry looked at him questioningly, he continued. "Which means, they haven't been caught doing anything against Death Eater policy. They come by now and then so we can make plans."

"Death Eater policy? You mean the Carrows, the Death Eaters who teach here?" Harry looked slightly confused.

"Oh, they do more than teach." Neville grimaced as he lifted his shirt to show a mass of cuts and welts on his chest and back. "I got these," he said, pointing to some bright red welts, "for refusing to cast the Cruciatus Curse on some fourth years."

Harry scowled furiously at the state of Neville's torso, while the others looked on in various states of shock. Hermione was the first to comment. "Oh, Neville, how awful! What did you do?"

"Well, eventually I created this room and it wasn't long before some others followed. Let's see, apart from Luna and Pansy, there's Dean, Seamus, Parvati and Padma, Justin Finch-Fletchly and a few other Hufflepuffs, Michael Corner and Cho Chang, and a couple of other Ravenclaws, and Blaise Zabini. He's the only other Slytherin besides Pansy. Mostly they stay in their dorms, though."

"That's great!" Harry suddenly remembered their quest. "But we're here to look for something. It's very important."

"You're not here to fight?" Neville looked disappointed. "We've been waiting on you to help us overthrow the Carrows and Snape. The others are already gathering intelligence for us."

Harry moved uncomfortably in his seat. "Look, this is really important. If we don't find this thing, it will affect whether or not we can get rid of Voldemort. We really need to get going, before it's too late."

"What are you looking for, Harry?" Luna walked over to sit next to him.

"Well, we're not quite sure, but we think it's something that used to belong to Rowena Ravenclaw," Harry hedged, looking at Draco for help.

Draco knew he didn't want to give too much away, but if they were to find the Horcrux, they would require help. "Something precious, like an heirloom or something. Is there anything like that here? Or have you heard of anything like that?" Draco looked at Luna hopefully.

"You mean something like Ravenclaw's Diadem?" Luna asked.

"What's a Diadem, Luna?" Hermione sat forward in her chair and regarded Luna seriously.

"It's like a crown. But it's been lost for centuries. I'm sure it's not in the castle," she replied.

Harry exchanged glances with Draco, Ron and Hermione. "How do you know it's not here?" he asked.

"Oh, there are lots of legends about the Diadem. It's supposed to give the wearer wisdom." Luna cocked her head at him quizzically. "Is it wisdom you want, Harry? I don't see how that's going to help kill You-Know-Who."

"We can't tell you what it's for. We just need it. Do you know what it looks like?"

"Well, there's a statue of Rowena Ravenclaw in our Common Room," she replied. "I could take you there to see it, if you like."

"Yes!" Harry stood up, suddenly excited. "Let's go." He pulled out his Invisibility Cloak and began to follow Luna to the door.

"Wait, I'll go with you." Draco raised himself up from the couch and quickly followed. There was no way he was going to allow Harry out into the castle without at least some protection. Harry had a habit of acting impulsively and, although it usually worked out for him, Draco was afraid the other boy's luck would run out at an inconvenient moment. When he reached the door he heard his mother call out to him.

"Draco!" Narcissa stood up, but Draco slipped out the door before she could stop him.

Once outside the room, Harry threw the Cloak over them both and they quickly followed Luna down hallways and stairwells until they came to the entrance to Ravenclaw Tower.

There was nothing at the entry but a heavy wooden door with a large brass knocker in the middle. Luna stepped forward and dropped the knocker against the door once. A voice immediately erupted from somewhere. "Mountains will crumble and temples will fall, and no one will survive its endless call."

Draco looked at Harry under the Cloak and rolled his eyes. "Trust Ravenclaw to have a riddle instead of a password," he hissed, but Harry just scowled impatiently.

Luna cocked her head in thought then stepped forward, smiling. "I believe the answer to that would be 'time.'"

"Well done," the voice replied and the door swung open to let them in.

The Common Room was similar to the Gryffindors' except that it was round and had more windows. The view would no doubt be spectacular during the day. As it was, the tall arched windows framed the night, reflecting the light of the almost-full moon that shone high in the sky. At the far end near the staircases stood a life size statute of Rowena Ravenclaw and it was toward this that Harry and Draco moved. Harry stepped out from under the Cloak to examine the crown that lay upon Ravenclaw's Head.

"Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure," he read aloud.

"Pity you didn't have more wits about ye!" a rough voice growled from behind him and Harry turned to find himself face to face with Alecto Carrow. He drew his wand as Alecto moved to press her finger to the Dark Mark on her arm, but Draco was already casting a curse.

Throwing the Cloak off, he lunged at the Death Eater. "Stupefy!" Red light flew out of the tip of Draco's wand and hit Alecto the instant before her finger touched the Dark Mark. She fell to the ground with a thud.

"Bloody, hell, I thought she had us there!" Harry walked over to the stunned Death Eater and kicked her lightly in the side to make sure she was out. "Best tie her up for good measure."

Obediently, Draco flicked his wand at the rigid figure and ropes flew out of the wand tip, wrapping round her and binding her tightly. "That ought to do, do you think?" He looked at Harry for confirmation.

Harry nodded and rubbed his face wearily. "Thanks. I don't know what I'd do without you." He looked at Draco appreciatively and Draco's heart skipped a beat.

"So, where do you think this crown thing is?" Draco changed the subject, stifling his emotions at Harry's words.

"I know I've seen it. And I think I know where." Harry looked at Draco, then Luna, and seemed to make up his mind. "Luna, we need to go back to the Room of Requirement to get everyone out of there. Just for a short time."

"Okay, Harry, but where will we go?" Luna asked calmly, slightly distracted by the play of lights that the sconces were making on the walls of the common room.

"I don't know. Just hide. We'll come and let you back in again soon."

"They could go to the kitchens," Draco cut in. "The Death Eaters will never think to look there."

"Great idea!" Harry answered. "Dobby!" he called out to the room. Immediately there was a loud crack and Dobby appeared before him.

"Dobby. I am sending some of my good friends to hide out in the kitchens. You must protect them at all costs." Harry leaned over and put his hand on Dobby's shoulder to indicate the seriousness of his request.

"Oh, of course, Harry Potter! Dobby will always do his best to protect the friends of Harry Potter!" Dobby bowed and disappeared with another loud pop.

"Okay, let's get back to the others." Harry made for the door, but Draco stopped him.

"Wait, what are you doing? Where is the Diadem?" Draco looked at him, frowning.

"I can't explain now, but I'll show you as soon as everyone is out of the Room of Requirement." Harry grabbed Draco by the arm and threw the Cloak over them again before striding out through the heavy wooden entrance door, Luna trailing behind them. They quickly made their way back to the door that led to Neville's sanctuary. When they finally got back in, only Neville and Pansy remained.

"Where are the others?" Harry looked around him, his brow furrowed.

"Um, they said they had to find something." Neville shrugged.

"Look, we need to get everyone out of here, just for awhile. Can you two go hide in the kitchen, just for half an hour?" Harry asked, looking from Neville to Pansy. "Dobby is expecting you. And if you see anyone else, take them with you."

Neville nodded and turned to Pansy. "You coming?"

Pansy shot a look at Draco. "What are you two up to?" She asked, suspiciously.

"Look, Pansy, we really need you out of here, just for a bit. I'll explain everything later." Draco shrugged, and Pansy eventually huffed and followed Neville out the door.

"So, what's the deal?" Draco turned to Harry expectantly.

"I saw the Diadem in the Room of Requirement last year." Harry suddenly looked embarrassed. "I hid my potions text in there. It was Snape's old copy I was using—that's where I got the spell that hurt you in the bathroom." Harry lowered his head in shame then. "After—after I hurt you, I got scared. I had to hide the book." He looked up then to see Draco's pained expression. "Oh, God, Draco! I'm so sorry! I had no idea what that spell did. I was lashing out." Harry looked at Draco pleadingly, moving forward a step.

Draco stared at him, remembering the pain and humiliation he'd suffered when Harry had found him crying—crying, for God's sake—in the unused girls' bathroom on the third floor, and had Cursed him until he'd almost died. He shuddered at the thought, reliving the feeling of having his chest ripped open and his blood spilling out onto the cold marble floor. He'd thought his time had finally come, that he was finally being released from his burden. He'd welcomed it, mentally opened his arms wide to receive it, accept it. He wanted death to take him so he didn't have to think about what he was required to do; what he'd been sworn to do.

Draco's entire core caved as he remembered how easy it had felt to give himself up to pain, to oblivion, to intoxicating sleep. Harry had almost killed him. At the time he had wished for that oblivion, for the eternal finality of death. But it hadn't come. Somehow he'd been saved. And he'd seen the fear, the pain, the loss on Harry's face as he had crumpled to the floor in a pool of blood, only to be resurrected again by Snape's and Pomfrey's timely interventions.

Draco raised his head slowly and looked into the jade-green eyes of his erstwhile assailant. Harry's eyes were burning into his with remorse and penitence. And Draco knew then that it was that moment—that split second in time when his enemy had capitulated in remorse as he stood staring at Draco's broken body in the bathroom—that his feelings toward his life-long enemy had changed. That they had moved from overt enmity to something else, something that made him i care /i .

Harry was still staring at Draco earnestly and when Draco came back to himself he felt a flood of emotion overtake him. So much so that he moved forward toward Harry as if impelled by an external force, and gathered the other boy into his arms, moving his lips to Harry's ear to whisper fervently. "Harry…." Draco's voice was a breath and an entreaty at the same time. "Harry…. There's no need…."

Harry looked into his eyes then. "Draco." His voice was hesitant. "I-I don't know what to say." Draco turned to look into those deep green eyes and immediately the pain that flooded his heart melted away like frost melting under the soft sun of early spring.

Draco pulled Harry close, resting his forehead on the other boy's shoulder. He suddenly felt overwhelmed by a sense of protectiveness and clutched Harry tightly as a wave of terror overwhelmed him.

"Harry," he breathed into the other's ear. "Be careful. I don't want to lose you."

Harry pulled back out of their embrace and gazed into Draco's silver-grey eyes. "Oh, God, you've no idea how much—how much…." Draco closed his eyes for a moment in resignation. He was gone; surrendered completely. In his mind;s eye, he was drowning in the sweet, soft depths of Harry's emerald eyes. His life was swirling in ever-receding pools of colour and as the centre of the rainbow flashed absinthe-green, Draco thought he might float forever in its depths.

As he lifted his head Harry captured his lips tenderly. "It'll be okay." His breath ghosted across Draco's mouth. Draco's resolve shattered at that moment and Harry pulled back gently and looked into his eyes. "I promise."

9


	12. Chapter 12: The Room of Hidden Things

Chapter 12: The Room of Hidden Things 

Harry reluctantly pulled away from Draco and sighed. "We need to get going if we want to find this bloody Horcrux. To get into the room of hidden things we need to get out of here first. Once this room is empty we can request the other one." He looked at Draco wryly. "At least, that's how I hope it works."

Draco nodded. "Yeah, I spent most of last year in that room." He shuddered at the thought of the consequences of his little project as he followed Harry out of the room with not a little trepidation.

It was after ten when they found themselves in the seventh floor corridor again, where both boys had, just the previous year, requested a place to hide their secrets. Harry had stuffed his Invisibility Cloak inside his robes and was pacing up and down in front of the brick wall, muttering to himself, while Draco stood by, nervously looking about to ensure they remained undetected.

Presently, a large, arched door appeared in the wall and Harry turned to Draco with relief. "This is it. I'm sure it's in here." He turned the handle and stood back to allow Draco to enter before him. Closing the door carefully behind them, they surveyed the mounds of hidden treasures and forbidden possessions, which were piled high above their heads in every direction.

"I remember placing the crown on an old bust on top of the cupboard where I hid my Potions text. So I'd remember where I hid the book. There's so much stuff in here, it's so easy to get lost," Harry explained as he looked around, trying to get his bearings.

"Do you remember which direction you went?" Draco asked, thinking they had Buckley's chance of finding the Horcrux amongst all the rubbish, unless Harry had at least some sense of its location.

"This way, I think." Harry moved down one of the long corridors created by two huge walls of objects and Draco followed warily.

"Maybe it's best if we split up," Draco suggested after they'd walked down several such paths without success. "I'll go this way. Call out if you find anything." Draco turned left at the next corner and made his way towards the far side of the room. The room itself was cavernous, it's ceiling hundreds of feet above—or at least it seemed so. Draco wondered just how much of the room was actually real and how much was magical manipulation, like the ceiling in the Great Hall.

Slowly, he made his way across the room, picking through the bits and pieces students had hidden there throughout the history of the school. There were odd pieces of furniture, books of Dark Magic, jewellery, orbs, and many other oddly-shaped objects. But nowhere could Draco find anything that looked like the diadem. He had just reached the end of yet another fruitless corridor when the room's silence was broken by a loud yelp.

"I found it!" Harry's voice echoed across the room and Draco turned quickly towards it.

"Hang on, I'll be there in a minute," he cried out as he jumped awkwardly over the various stray objects that blocked his path.

"Where are you?" Harry called out, his voice seeming further away somehow, and Draco looked up in confusion. Perhaps he was moving in the wrong direction. Stopping to get his bearings, he made a quick decision to turn right, when he felt something poke sharply into his back.

"Well, Well, What 'ave we 'ere?" a smug voice cracked with amusement. Draco stopped dead in his tracks, his heart suddenly jumping into his throat. Turning slowly, he found himself face to face with his old minions. "Looks like we found ourselves a traitor, eh Greg?" Crabbe sneered at Draco, jabbing him in the chest with his wand as he did so.

Goyle laughed derisively as he moved out from behind Crabbe and trained his wand at Draco's heart. "Yeah, I bet the Dark Lord'd love to see you, Malfoy."

Draco stood stock still as he assessed the situation. He had no idea where Harry was and hoped that the other boy would refrain from calling out again. He needed to keep Crabbe and Goyle occupied so that Harry could get out with the diadem. Going over his options—which were few, he had to admit—he settled on trying to distract them.

"How did you get in here?" he asked, frowning. "You know this room is cursed?" Draco tried to look fearful.

"What you talkin' about? Don' gimme none o' that rubbish. You're makin' that up." Crabbe poked Draco in the chest again, harder this time.

"I say let's just hex 'im! Then take 'im to the Dark Lord. We'll be 'eroes!" Goyle moved closer to Draco and glowered at him menacingly.

"Wait! You don't understand. There are dangerous Dark objects in here. If you touch them, who knows what will happen." Draco stalled.

"Gerroff! You're not foolin' me!" Goyle looked around nervously all the same and Crabbe began to back up almost imperceptibly.

"I'm not! Stop! Don't step back! That cabinet is cursed!" Draco cried, causing both Crabbe and Goyle suddenly to pivot around to see the source of Draco's supposed terror. Taking advantage of their momentary diversion, he lunged forward. "_Stupefy! Stupefy!_"

Both Slytherins managed to duck in time to miss getting hit and it was with surprising grace the Crabbe suddenly flew around to face Draco. "_Expliarmus_!" Draco's wand flew out of his hand and fell to the ground some feet away, where Goyle quickly scrambled to pick it up.

"Thought you was getting away easy, eh?" Crabbe sneered. "Not likely. Come on." He grabbed Draco by the arm and began to drag him along the corridor, Goyle following a few paces behind. "Let's go find your li'l boyfriend."

Draco's stomach clenched as he stumbled along in Crabbe's wake. He had to find a way to distract them before they found Harry. He looked around frantically, pulling against Crabbe's grip as he searched for a way to distract him. Suddenly, close by, he heard a crash as some objects tumbled in one of the aisles beyond. Draco broke out into a sweat and panicked. "Harry! Run!" he called out at the top of his voice, hoping Harry would heed the warning in his voice. Crabbe wrenched his arm fiercely and when Draco stumbled and almost fell, Goyle leaned forward and punched him squarely in the face.

Draco felt his nose break as Goyle's fist made contact, and he swooned, nearly falling into the blackness that threatened to overtake his consciousness. Blood oozed out of his face and onto his shirt as he collapsed to the floor. As he lay there, his head throbbing, barely feeling the kicks being directed at his ribs, he tried once more to call out to Harry. He opened his mouth to form the words, straining against his bruised and aching muscles, but nothing came out. His throat was thick with blood that had oozed down from his nasal passage and he felt like he was choking. Coughing up blood, he tried to sit up. After several moments he managed to pull himself up on one elbow and wipe his face with his sleeve. Struggling to clear his throat, he tried to make his voice work, but was soon rewarded for his efforts with more kicks, until he eventually collapsed back to the floor and prepared for the blackness to overtake him. He was drifting in and out of consciousness and the lights around him kept dimming and then brightening in time with the buzzing in his ears. Finally, steeling himself against his pain, he opened his eyes. His assailants were sniggering and joking as they continued to assault him with hands and feet, lifting and dragging him as they did so, their sick amusement bouncing loudly off the objects around them. Then suddenly, a shadow fell across them.

"Get your fucking hands off him. Now." Harry's voice was deep and menacing as he rounded on Draco's attackers, both of whom dropped Draco in surprise and reached for their wands. "I wouldn't try that if I were you," Harry continued, moving his wand threateningly between Crabbe and Goyle, his nostrils flaring and his eyes almost black with fury. "Move away!" Harry took a step forward and both boys began to back away slowly from where Draco lay in a bloody heap on the floor. "I said. Get. The fuck. Away from him." Both Slytherins moved quickly to put some distance between them as Harry edged toward Draco, his wand still aimed at the other two.

Suddenly, Goyle reached for his wand and turned on Harry. "_Stupefy!"_ Harry screamed, too quick for him, and Goyle crashed to the floor as Harry turned his aim on Crabbe. Realising he was in no position to retaliate, Grabbe held out his wand, which Harry pocketed before casting a binding spell on him. Within moments Harry was at Draco's side, kneeling to lift him up from the floor and cradling his head in his lap. Draco's eyes were open, but glazed.

"Harry?" He choked on the word and began coughing up blood again and Harry took him in his arms and lifted him up to help him to breathe.

"Are you okay?" Harry's voice cracked as he looked at the broken boy in his arms. Draco nodded slightly, the movement causing his head to throb painfully. His nose had stopped bleeding but his throat was still blocked and he continued to cough in an effort to clear it. "Oh, God! What did they do to you? Here, let me…." Harry pulled the hem of Draco's shirt out of his pants and carefully wiped the blood from his mouth and nose. As he bunched up the fabric to better absorb the blood, he gasped in shock at the huge mass of bruises running down Draco's ribs and side. Draco groaned when Harry brushed his fingers over the purpled skin and Harry quickly dropped the fabric and moved his hand to cradle Draco's head, murmuring calming, shushing sounds as he did so.

Finally Draco seemed to focus and, turning to Harry, finally found his voice. "Saved by the Boy-Who-Lived." His voice was a whisper and he tried to smirk but it came out as a grimace.

Harry looked at him tenderly, shaking his head in amusement. "God, you're a mess, " he replied. He quickly cast a cleaning charm, removing all traces of blood from Draco's face and shirt. "We'll have to ask Hermione to cast some healing spells. I'm pants at those." Harry smoothed Draco's hair back from his face, and smiled. "They sure did a job on you."

Draco managed to smile back this time as he leaned further into Harry's chest. "You can save me any day, Harry."


	13. Chapter 13: The Pensieve

A/N: The paragraph in italics marked by (1) is a direct quote from JKR's _Harry Potter and the Deathy Hallows_, Bloomsbury UK Edition, pp.550-1.

**Chapter 13: The Pensieve**

Picking up Draco's wand from where it had landed on the floor and tucking it into his belt, Harry managed to half-carry, half-drag Draco out of the Room of Requirement. When they finally reached the corridor and the door to the room had disappeared behind them, Harry propped Draco up against the wall and handed him his wand, before pulling the diadem out of his robes.

"Thank God you found it." Draco sighed in relief as he pulled the suede bag containing Hufflepuff's cup out of his own robes. "How are we going to destroy them?"

"Gryffindor's sword. It's in Hermione's bag." Harry leaned back against the wall and slid down to sit next to Draco. "Now we just have to find _them_," he added, groaning.

"Find who?" Both boys' heads snapped up as Hermione sauntered down the hallway towards them, Ron following distractedly behind her.

"Hermione! Thank God! We were just about to go looking for you both," Harry cried as they approached. "Where've you been?"

"Looking for you two, of course. Lucius and Narcissa have gone to see Snape and we're to find you and meet them in his office." Hermione suddenly caught sight of the diadem that Harry was holding in his lap. "Is—is that it? You found it?" She clapped her hands with joy as Harry nodded.

"Yeah, it was in the room of hidden things where I hid my Potions text last year. Once I saw what it looked like, I suddenly remembered that I'd used it to mark the place where I'd left the book." Harry hopped up then to show it to her.

"Oh, Harry, that's brilliant!" she cried as she snatched the crown from him, turning it this way and that until she could read the inscription that so clearly identified it as Ravenclaw's diadem. She passed it onto Ron, who whistled softly at the weight of it. Although it was ancient and tarnished, the beauty of the many precious gems that covered its surface was not marred. It was a work of art and weighed a ton.

"This must be worth a fortune!" Ron handed it back to Harry. "Pity we have to destroy it."

"It may be pretty but it has to go. Hermione, have you got the sword?" Harry asked impatiently.

Hermione dug around in her bag for a few minutes, before pulling her hand out quickly. "Ouch! Yes here it is." She reached in more gingerly this time and drew the shining sword slowly out, handing it to Harry.

"No, I think it's your turn, Hermione." Harry handed her the crown and the cup and she laid them both cautiously on the ground.

"I don't know if I'm strong enough," she whispered as she knelt in front of the crown, turning it sideways for better access, and lifted the sword up hesitantly. The others held their breath as she took careful aim, her arms shaking a little from the weight of the sword. Taking a deep breath, she leaned back slightly before plunging the sword with force into the middle of the inscription. Sparks flew out as metal hit metal and the crown glowed luminously for a moment before issuing a coil of black smoke as streams of thick red blood oozed out from the place where the sword had made contact.

Hermione dropped the sword in surprise and jumped out of the way of the oozing mess. The crown sizzled and then burst into flame, issuing more black smoke before the flames eventually died out, leaving a blackened mess of melted metal lying in a crimson puddle on the floor.

"Bloody hell! That was quite a show." Ron blinked as he tried to adjust to the relative gloom of the hallway now that the diadem was rid of the sinister Dark spirit that had possessed it.

Hermione stepped forward and handed the sword to Draco, who looked up at her questioningly. "Come on, Draco. You got the cup. You might as well be the one to destroy it." Draco regarded her for a moment, but when he tried to get up he groaned as he felt his bruised Torso protest painfully. He had almost forgotten about the extent of the damage done by Crabbe's and Goyle's bullying earlier. As it was, the mere effort of attempting to rise had sent stabbing pains down his chest and thighs, and the muscles of his back had clenched agonizingly.

Harry knelt down beside him at once and put a hand on his arm. "Are you okay?" He anxiously peered into Draco's face as the latter grimaced, trying to find a comfortable position on the floor. Harry helped him lean back against the stone wall before looking up at Hermione. "He's hurt. Crabbe and Goyle cornered him. I think he may have some broken ribs." Hermione knelt down beside Draco and lifted his shirt carefully, gasping when she saw the extent of his bruising.

"Can you heal these?" Harry asked hopefully. "His nose may be broken as well. There was a lot of blood from his face before."

Hermione frowned and pulled out her wand, pointing it first at Draco's nose, which was not only bruised but did indeed look slightly bent out of shape. She cast a Healing Spell and sighed in relief when Draco's nose instantly returned to normal. Moving to his chest, she cast more spells and slowly the purple and black blotches began to disappear.

"How does that feel?" she asked as she gently felt his side where the ribs had been smashed. Draco frowned but didn't flinch at her touch and eventually let out a breath when he realised that most of the pain had disappeared.

"Much better. Thanks." He carefully felt his nose, then, and smiled slightly when it didn't hurt. "Yeah, that's much better. Thanks, Hermione." He reached for her hand and squeezed it and she blushed pink, turning and getting up quickly to hide the fact.

"Don't mention it," she mumbled as she rummaged distractedly in her bag. Ron looked at her curiously, then frowned when he saw her flushed cheeks. If Draco knew nothing else, it was how to charm the ladies, and he grinned inwardly at the knowledge that even Hermione wasn't immune. Ron, however, appeared slightly more concerned as he looked from Draco to Hermione and back again. Slowly his face turned red and he turned and grabbed Hermione by the arm.

"Come on. We need to get to the headmaster's office before anyone sees us," he growled as he dragged her along behind him without looking back.

"You cheeky little Slytherin!" Harry grinned as he leant down to pull on Draco's arm, helping him to his feet. "You've got her wrapped around your little finger! Ron'll have you, you know," he added warningly as he helped dust the other boy off.

"What? Can I help it if I'm irresistible?" Draco smirked at him, moving forward to wrap his arms around Harry's waist. "Besides, I'd much rather _you_ have me…" Leaning in, he kissed Harry's neck softly before breathing into his ear. "Harry." Harry shuddered as a trail of goose bumps appeared in the wake of Draco's kisses and groaned when the latter nibbled gently on his earlobe.

"God, stop!" Harry pulled away abruptly and Draco pouted at him as he reluctantly let go of his waist. "We're supposed to be battling a Dark wizard here, Draco!" Harry rolled his eyes at the look on the other boy's face and moved to pick up the sword, handing it to Draco. "Come on, we have to destroy the cup and then we have to get to Snape's office." Draco huffed, but took the proffered sword and moved over to where Hufflepuff's cup still lay on the floor.

Kneeling down in front of it, he raised the sword confidently and swiftly plunged it into the cup, which exploded at the contact, emanating an intense heat that made Draco and Harry both recoil, their arms moving up to their faces protectively. It wasn't long before the cup shrivelled into a twisted, shapeless piece of metal that continued to hiss for some moments before finally expelling all its heat in one sharp pop of flame. Draco cautiously moved to pick it up, along with the destroyed diadem and handed them to Harry, who quickly pocketed them before grasping Draco's hand.

"Come on. Ron and Hermione will be waiting for us!" Draco didn't resist as Harry hurried him along the corridor towards Snape's office.

When they reached the entrance to the headmaster's office, Ron and Hermione were waiting for them.

"Oh good, you're here. We thought you'd got cornered by Filch! Did you see him?" Ron looked over Harry's shoulder nervously. "He nearly caught us, but we hid behind a tapestry just in time." Harry and Draco both turned then, nervously eyeing the direction from which they'd come.

"We had to destroy the cup." Harry replied as Draco handed him the sword, which he passed onto Hermione. "Come on. Let's get out of this hallway, before someone sees us." Harry moved forward and touched the stone entrance. "Does anyone know the password?"

"Lucius said he was sure he'd be able to get in and that, once in, he'd ask Snape to set it to 'lemon drop'." At Ron's words, the door slowly slid open and the revolving staircase appeared. Climbing onto it, the four young people made their way to the door of Snape's office, which was opened slightly. Harry held the others back has he peered in cautiously. Snape had his back to them, pacing the room, while Lucius sat stiffly in an armchair to the right, impatiently tapping his cane on the floor. Narcissa was not in the room, or at least not visible from their vantage point. Draco peered over Harry's shoulder and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the two men in deep conversation.

"Go on, it looks like they're fine." Draco pushed Harry slightly and the latter boy knocked tentatively before pushing the door open. Both men's head's swivelled towards them and Snape strode over to open the door wide.

"Hurry up then! What are you waiting for? An engraved invitation?" Snape slammed the door shut behind them as they made their way in, and strode over to his desk, where he seated himself so they were facing him. "So. It appears we are all now on the same side. No little thanks to you, Mr Potter, it seems." He sneered at Harry, who just stared back at him stonily.

"Er, actually it was Draco," Harry began uncertainly. He glanced sideways at Draco, who carefully looked over at his father, unsure of their position. "Draco rescued us from the Manor dungeon." Snape looked at Draco and pursed his lips knowingly. Draco half-smiled back, thinking that Snape was right. It was in fact all due to Harry—well, his attachment to Harry, at least—that things had turned out the way they did.

Lucius stood up then, and walked towards them. "Professor Snape and I have sorted out our… loyalties." He turned to Snape, who nodded and continue to purse his lips. "We are working together to bring down the Dark Lord, but the Professor here must be very, very careful, given his roles as headmaster and Death Eater." He surveyed the four young people imperiously, before turning back towards Snape. "We have a plan. But first we need to go over some fundamentals."

Snape sat back in his chair and steepled his fingers on the edge of his desk. "I take it you have found and destroyed the Horcuxes, Potter?"

Harry nodded, looking towards the others for support. "Yes, all except for the snake."

"Ah, yes, the snake. The Dark Lord is keeping a very close watch on her, I'm afraid. She is currently encased in a protective magical cage. It will not be easy to get to her." Snape surveyed them calculatingly. "The Dark Lord himself is still based at the Manor, and he has cast very strong protective spells around it. However, Mr Malfoy…" He indicated Lucius with an incline of his head. "…knows of several hidden and very well-protected entrances that only recognise Malfoy blood. We shall be calling members of the Order soon to assist us in storming the premises with the aim of taking down the Dark Lord on his own ground."

"But what about Nagini? Shouldn't we try to destroy the snake first?" Harry looked at the others, who nodded in assent.

"Once the Dark Lord is taken down, the snake will be released from its protective cage and we shall be able to destroy it." Snape got up then and moved around the desk.

"Where's Mother?" Draco looked directly at his father. "Is she all right?"

"Your mother has gone to find Professor McGonagall. We are to meet them downstairs when we are done here." Snape walked towards the door and stopped. "But first Mr Malfoy and I need to do something. Wait here and don't leave. We will return shortly." Lucius followed him to the door, touching Draco's arm lightly in reassurance as he passed, and they both disappeared, closing the door behind them.

"I'm still worried about that snake, Harry." Hermione frowned as she sat down on a nearby sofa. "This plan seems rather dangerous. Especially for you." She looked up at Harry worriedly, but Harry was busy staring into the Pensieve that still lay on the countertop where Dumbledore had kept it. Draco walked over to see what he was looking at and Harry explained that the Pensieve was a device for viewing memories.

As Draco looked down into the bowl he could see several coils of smoky white substance shimmering and revolving slowly around each other. "Whose memories do you think they are?" he asked, turning to look at Harry, who was staring into the bowl with furrowed brows.

"I'm willing to bet they're Snape's," Harry replied, turning back to look at Draco. "I still don't trust him. I'm going in to have a look." In alarm, Draco grabbed Harry's arm as he leaned his head into the bowl and, as Harry tried to shake him off, he found himself falling headfirst into the bowl himself.

Draco felt himself falling and presently he found himself back in the headmaster's office with Harry next to him, but it was early evening and Ron and Hermione were nowhere to be seen. Draco turned sharply when he heard the voice of their old headmaster. Dumbledore was sitting at his desk and Snape was sitting on the other side. They were conversing in low tones. Draco looked at Harry inquisitively but Harry just took his hand and moved closer to the two at the desk.

"They can't see or hear us," he said when they were close enough to hear their conversation. Draco stared at the two men. They seemed so real, although he knew it was only a memory. He felt like he could reach out and touch them and he unconsciously moved forward towards Dumbledore, suddenly aching to touch him and make him real again. His mind flashed back to the night on the Astronomy Tower and his gut clenched as he remembered how Dumbledore had begged him to change sides. _You are not a killer, Draco_, he'd said. Draco suddenly felt cold, as waves of regret washed over him in waves, threatening to smother him with their icy penitence. He gasped as he felt the blood drain away from his face and Harry put a hand out to steady him as he swayed dizzily.

He came to himself some moments later to find that Harry had wrapped his arms around him and pulled him close, resting Draco's head on his shoulder. "Sh… it's okay, Draco. You didn't do it, remember?" Harry patted his back softly for several moments before nudging the other boy's head up and pulling him gently around so they could listen to what was being said.

Snape was the first to speak. _Tell him what?_

Dumbledore took a deep breath and closed his eyes. _Tell him that on the night Lord Voldemort tried to kill him, when Lily cast her own life between them as a shield, the Killing Curse rebounded upon Lord Voldemort, and a fragment of Voldemort's soul was blasted apart from the whole, and latched itself onto the only living soul left in that collapsing building. Part of Lord Voldemort lives inside Harry, and it is that which gives him the power of speech with snakes, and a connection with Lord Voldemort's mind that he has never understood. And while that fragment of soul, unmissed by Voldemort, remains attached to, and protected by Harry, Lord Voldemort cannot die._

_So the boy… the boy must die?_ asked Snape quite calmly.

_And Voldemort himself must do it, Severus. That is essential._(1)

Draco's heart stopped as he looked at Harry in horror. Voldemort couldn't die unless Harry did! Harry was a Horcrux and Voldemort didn't even know it. Draco almost keened at the thought and roughly pulled Harry to him, tears pricking his eyes. "No! No, Harry, no! There has to be another way!" He clutched Harry hard to himself, nearly crushing the other boy with the force of his embrace. Draco fought fiercely to control the tears that threatened to spill over and he thought his heart would burst out of his chest, it was pounding so violently. Harry let himself be smothered by Draco's embrace for a few long moments before slowly lifting his head to look directly into Draco's eyes. They stared at each other for a long while, Draco willing himself not to cry, until Harry finally took his hand and said quietly. "Come on. Time to go."

When they found themselves once more in the present, Ron and Hermione rushed over to them. "Harry, what happened? What did you see?" Hermione was holding him by the arms, but Harry just looked over her shoulder, a dazed expression on his face. "Draco?" Hermione turned to look at Draco worriedly. "What happened?"

Draco opened his mouth to reply, but Harry suddenly came to his senses and pushed Hermione away gruffly. "Nothing! It was nothing." He shot Draco a warning stare and Draco frowned, but didn't say anything. Hermione didn't look convinced though ,and continued to frown as she took in Harry's agitated state and Draco's moist eyes.

"It-it was a memory about his mother," Draco lied, reaching out for Harry's hand. He would respect Harry's wish to remain silent for the time being, but they would discuss this in more detail when the time was right. And that, Draco vowed, would be sooner rather than later. Harry looked at him gratefully and squeezed his hand and Draco shivered at the thought of what they'd just witnessed. His Harry was supposed to die. And Dumbledore had planned it that way. The old bastard. Draco's heart turned to stone as he thought about the night on the Astronomy Tower again and he was suddenly glad that Dumbledore had died. Very, very glad. Draco vowed that it would be a cold day in hell before he'd let Harry give himself over to Voldemort. No matter how much responsibility Harry thought he had, no matter what Prophecies declared that he should die, no matter what a world would be like in which Voldemort would live forever, nobody, but _nobody_, would take Harry away from him.

Snape entered the room again at that moment and Draco sighed in relief as Hermione's attention was drawn away.

"Mr and Mrs Malfoy are assisting Professor McGonagall in rounding up any seventh years students who are of age and willing to help the Order at the Manor. You are all to meet them down in the Gryffindor common room. Do not be seen. The Carrows and their helpers are everywhere. I will remain here to maintain my cover for the time being." Snape dismissed them with a wave of his hand and they filed out the door and down the stairwell. When they exited, however, someone was waiting for them.

"You'll not get away this time," Alecto Carrow pressed her finger to the Dark Mark on her forearm before they realised what was happening. Draco pulled out his wand and stunned her, and she fell to the ground unconscious, but Harry was already clutching his scar and screaming, doubled over in pain. "Oh God, he's coming! He knows I'm here." Harry collapsed onto the floor, writhing as if he'd been hit by a Cruciatus Curse and Draco collapsed next to him, his fear suddenly overwhelming him.

"Harry! Harry! Oh, my God! Someone do something!"


	14. Chapter 14: The Shrieking Shack

Chapter 14: The Shrieking Shack

A/N: (1) This is a direct quote (with some slight paraphrasing in the first paragraph only) from J.K.Rowling, _Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows _(DH), p. 490, Bloomsbury UK Edition.

(2) this paragraph is paraphrased from DH, p.554ff.

_Recap from Ch 13:_

"You'll not get away this time," Alecto Carrow pressed her finger to the Dark Mark on her forearm before they realised what was happening. Draco pulled out his wand and stunned her and she fell to the ground unconscious, but Harry was already clutching his scar and screaming, doubled over in pain. "Oh God, he's coming! He knows I'm here." Harry collapsed onto the floor, writhing as if he'd been hit by a Cruciatus Curse and Draco collapsed next to him, his fear suddenly overwhelming him.

"Harry! Harry! Oh, my God! Someone do something!"

**Chapter 14: The Shrieking Shack**

Hermione dropped to her knees next to Draco and put her hand on his shoulder. "He can see into You Know Who's mind sometimes, usually when You Know Who is excited or angry about something. It makes Harry's scar burn painfully, but it usually goes away fairly quickly." Nevertheless, she looked at Harry worriedly and Draco wasn't convinced.

"He looks like he's convulsing!" Draco cried in alarm as Harry began to shake uncontrollably. Levering his hands under Harry's armpits, he lifted the other boy up to rest his head against Draco's chest. "How often does this happen?"

"It's been happening less and less these past few months, since Harry's been practising his Occlumency," Hermione replied as she patted Harry's hand, which she held in her lap.

Draco continued to look anxiously at Harry, even as the other boy's jerking movements decreased and finally stopped. Harry was sweating profusely, his hair sticking to his forehead in wet clumps, and Draco stroked his cheek fretfully until, finally, his eyes fluttered open.

"Harry? Are you all right?" Draco smoothed Harry's damp hair back from his forehead and looked into his eyes as they tried to focus.

Suddenly, Harry sat up and looked around wildly. "He's here. He's in the Shrieking Shack and Nagini is with him!" Harry reached for Draco and pulled him into a tight embrace. "He's looking for Lucius!" Draco blanched as he held Harry, but tried to remain calm. It was hardly surprising that his father would be the subject of The Dark Lord's wrath, given his recent traitorous flight from the Death Eaters' headquarters. Still, the news that Voldemort was so near was more than unsettling, especially with his Mother also in danger.

"We need to find Snape and your parents so we can work out what to do." Harry was struggling to get up, so Draco jumped to his feet to help him.

"Professor Snape is still in his office," Draco replied. "I'm not sure where Father is, but Snape should know. Let's go back and talk to him."

"Why don't Ron and I head down to the Shrieking Shack to see what You Know Who is up to? You can join us when you've found Lucius." Hermione turned to Ron, who nodded.

"What? No! It's too dangerous!" Harry looked frantically from Ron to Hermione. "What if he catches you?"

"We'll go through the tunnel under the Whomping Willow," Ron replied. "He won't even know we're there."

"Right." Hermione shot Ron an approving look. "We'll just keep an eye on him. Maybe we can get a shot at Nagini."

Harry calmed a little and appeared to ponder their plan for a minute, before finally nodding. "Okay. You two go to the Shrieking Shack and we'll meet you there with Snape and Lucius."

At that, Hermione grabbed Ron by the arm and hurriedly dragged him off down the corridor. As they disappeared around the corner in a flurry of robes, Harry turned to Draco. "Come on, let's go see Snape."

Once again they were on the spiralling staircase to the headmaster's office. Snape looked up in surprise when they burst into his office.

"He's here! At the Shrieking Shack!" Harry cried as he tried to catch his breath.

"Slow down, Potter. How do you know?" Snape sat back and frowned, looking from one boy to the other.

"Alecto Carrow saw us downstairs and touched her Dark Mark. I managed to stun her, but then Harry saw into You Know Who's mind." Draco looked at Harry for confirmation.

"He flew here straight away! He's here. Hermione and Ron have already gone to the Whomping Willow to spy on him."

"He's at the Shrieking Shack?" Snape hissed suddenly as his Mark began to burn. Harry looked at Draco, frowning. "He's calling me," Snape said in explanation.

"What happens if you don't go?" Draco asked.

"He'll know I'm a traitor." Snape pulled his wand out. "But that doesn't matter now. We know where he is—we can ambush him! Harry, go find Lucius. He's with Narcissa and Professor McGonagall. Let him know what's happened and that he needs to meet us in the tunnel at the Shrieking Shack." Snape turned to Draco then. "Draco, you come with me."

Draco looked at Harry uncertainly. He didn't want to leave Harry. It didn't feel safe. But Harry was nodding at him and there was nothing he could do but follow them out of the room and down the stairs. At the foot of the stairs Snape stopped to bind the still unconscious Alecto Carrow, before turning to Draco.

"Come, Draco. There is no time to lose."

Draco glanced one last time at Harry, who smiled at him reassuringly. "Go on, I'll be there soon." Harry turned then and ran off down the hall, and Draco reluctantly followed Snape in the opposite direction.

Harry immediately headed for McGonagall's rooms, running as fast has his legs could carry him. If they weren't there, he thought, they might already have begun to organise the protection of the younger students, probably down in the dungeons, since that seemed, to Harry at least, to be the safest place in the castle. Several moving staircases and corridors later he found himself outside the office of his Head of House and paused for a moment to catch his breath, before knocking loudly on the door. He was surprised when it was opened by Lucius.

"He's here, at the Shrieking Shack. Snape and the others have gone down the tunnel under the Whomping Willow to see what he's up to." Harry was almost doubled over with the effort of breathing and talking at the same time.

"Yes, I believe you're right, Mr. Potter." Lucius touched his left arm gingerly. "I have been summoned."

"Where are Mrs. Malfoy and Professor McGonagall?" Harry could breathe properly again, but he clutched at the stitch that still tore at the muscles of his left side.

"They have taken the younger students down to the dungeons for safe-keeping." Lucius pulled his wand out and stepped out into the corridor, pulling the door shut behind him. "The older students will be meeting us downstairs in the Great Hall. I must go. You go down to the dungeons and alert the others. Tell them to stay there until further notice."

Harry nodded and took off again, this time in the direction of Slytherin dorms. He wondered how they would go about ambushing Voldemort at the Shrieking Shack and suddenly felt sick. Harry was the one who had to do it, in the end. Voldemort would die by Harry's hand. It was almost time and if he couldn't do the deed, then he didn't know what would happen. And what if Voldemort killed him first? At least that would be another Horcrux destroyed, he thought bitterly. Then they'd only have to kill Nagini to ensure Voldemort would never come back.

Thoughts of fighting and death, of his friends in danger, of Draco in danger, swam around in Harry's head as he ran down corridors and stairs towards the dungeons. He hoped with all his might that they would all be okay. He knew what they were up against and, even if they did have three former Death Eaters on their side now, that still left an awful lot of enemies out there for Voldemort to command. They would be extremely lucky if everyone came out of this unscathed.

He was almost at the dungeons when a cold voice boomed throughout the castle. Harry stopped dead in his tracks to listen as the voice, which seemed to come out of nowhere, rang out around the stone walls.

"I know you are preparing to fight. Your efforts are futile."(1) Harry could hear screaming in the distance, from the dungeons—students screaming in fearful voices.

"I do not want to kill you. I have great respect for the teachers at Hogwarts. I do not want to spill magical blood." The voice stopped for a moment and Harry held his breath. "Give me Harry Potter," said Voldemort's voice, "and none shall be harmed. Give me Harry Potter and I shall leave the school untouched. Give me Harry Potter, and you shall be rewarded.

"You have until midnight."(1)

Harry stumbled back until he hit the stone wall, and put his face in his hands. Oh, God! Voldemort was planning to attack the school if Harry didn't go to him. Images of flashing red and green lights flying through the air, students falling, teachers panicked, hit him like a ton of bricks. More people could die—people he loved and cared about—and it would all be his fault. He couldn't do it, couldn't leave them all open to such a vicious attack. He would have to give himself up. It was the only way.

Sliding down the wall, Harry crouched on the floor, his head buried in his arms as he fought for the strength to do what he knew he must. His scar burned as he tried to gather his thoughts and he found himself sinking again into Voldemort's mind. The pain tore through him and he was suddenly standing in a clearing in the Forbidden Forest, staring at a crowd of Death Eaters huddled around a fire. They turned when he approached, Nagini floating along in front of him in what looked to be some kind of magical cage. Cruel laughter echoed throughout the clearing, bouncing of the trees, and Harry knew that Voldemort was there, waiting for him. They were all waiting for him.

Casting a quick Tempus Charm, he saw he had barely thirty minutes left until midnight. Slowly, he climbed to his feet and steeled himself. He wondered if dying would hurt and terror suddenly washed over him at the thought. (2) He thought about all the times in his life he had faced death and cheated it, and wondered why he had never appreciated the fact that life was so dear and death was so interminable. He had taken his survival for granted and now it hurt all the more to die because, not only would he have to leave his friends, but he would also have to leave behind the one person who finally seemed to love him for himself. He wondered how Draco would feel as he looked at Harry's lifeless body, and his head began to swim. Oh, God. Draco! He would be beside himself.

But he couldn't allow himself such thoughts. No. He had a duty to fulfil, a duty foretold by a prophecy, and there was nothing for it but to turn and face it head on. With that thought, Harry rose to his feet and pulled out his Invisibility Cloak. Throwing the shimmering garment over his head, he turned and headed back the way he came until he found himself facing the huge front doors at the castle entrance. He stopped for a moment to calm himself. Then, letting out a sigh, he moved through the doorway and out into the dark, dark night.


	15. Chapter 15: Into the Forest

Chapter 15: Into the Forest

**Chapter 15: Into the Forest**

_You have until midnight._

The words rang in Draco's ears like a death knell. He had stopped in his tracks, his heart in his throat, when Voldemort's voice had rung out into the night. Snape had continued on ahead of him, seemingly unaware of the booming voice as he hurried across the grass towards the Whomping Willow. Draco panted as he watched the professor point his wand at a tree root to gain access to the tunnel below. He was fixed to the spot, his legs refusing to take him any further.

_You have until midnight_. Oh, God! Where was Harry? Draco looked back the way they had come, torn between running back to find Harry and following Snape as he'd been told. Surely Harry wouldn't go? He'd promised to meet them at the Shrieking Shack only minutes earlier. Draco's breath was still gasping roughly in and out and, as he stood, undecided as to what he should do, terror struck him. At that instant, he knew that Harry _would _do it. He _would_ turn himself over to Voldemort, if it meant saving the students and the school. Ever the Gryffindor, Harry could always be counted on to do the noble thing.

Snape turned then and, seeing Draco standing some twenty feet away, gestured angrily towards the tunnel entrance, which had just appeared, before disappearing into it.

Draco knew what he had to do. He had to get to Harry before Voldemort did. Without stopping to think for even a moment, he turned and began to run back towards the castle, Snape's alarmed voice trailing him in the distance.

He was breathless by the time he made it to the castle door, where he collapsed on the stairs, suddenly aware that he had no idea where to even start looking for Harry. As soon as he was able to breathe again, he jumped up and began to make his way inside. The castle was eerily quiet and he cast his mind about for possible places to look. Snape had sent Harry to find McGonagall and his mother, who were supposedly looking after the younger students.

Mentally dismissing the tower common rooms as obvious targets, he turned towards the nearest staircase and began a hurried descent to the dungeons. His heart was pounding in his chest as he took the stairs two and three at a time, barely registering where he was going. All he could think of was getting to Harry. He needed to stop Harry before his innate heroism overtook him and led him to what would certainly be his death. _No!_ Draco screamed silently to the gods. _You can't have him!_

Continuing to race down the stairs as his thoughts all but embroiled him, he was abruptly brought to a halt by the sudden appearance of Neville, who was racing up the stairs and nearly crashed into him.

"Neville! Where's Harry? Have you seen him?" Draco grabbed Neville frantically by the shoulders, his breath coming hard and fast.

"No. We thought he was with you!" Neville went pale. "The others are down in the dungeons. But Harry hasn't been there. You don't think…?"

"Oh, God." Draco all but collapsed on the stairs then, his face white. "I have to find him!" Panting, he tried to reason out the best place to start looking. Then it struck him that the portraits might have seen Harry. Yes, surely they must have. Looking around him, however, he noticed that the portraits in the stairwell were all empty.

Turning on his heel, Draco raced back up to the entrance hall and looked around at the portraits there. They were empty as well, and Draco groaned audibly. Neville came up behind him, panting.

"Neville, where are all the portraits?"

"I heard one of the Black portraits in the dungeons say they were all meeting in the Headmaster's office. Something about a plan of action." Neville shrugged and looked at Draco curiously. "Why? What…?" But Draco cut him off.

"I'm heading up there. One of them must have seen Harry. You go tell the others to keep out of sight! God knows what could happen if the Death Eaters get in here!" Draco turned and took off up the nearest staircase towards the headmaster's office, leaving Neville standing in the entrance hall.

The portraits in Snape's office were also empty, save for a sleeping Nigellus Black, who was snoring as he leaned against the portrait frame. Draco, was frantic by this stage and, rushing over to the old professor, began shouting at him.

"Professor Black! Professor Black! Wake up!" Draco paced up and down in front of the portrait, almost completely overwrought. When the old man continued to snore, Draco stopped and yelled at the top of his voice. "Professor Black! Wake up, you old codger!"

"Hmmmmph! Who dares to wake me at this ungodly hour?" Nigellus blustered as he sat up and angrily pushed his spectacles into place. "What is it?" Seeing Draco standing before him in his frazzled state, he pulled out his cane and pointed it at him. "You, boy! What do you think you're doing?"

"Voldemort is trying to kill Harry Potter. Have you seen him? Can you help me find Harry?"

"Yes, yes, nasty business! The others are following Dumbledore down to the dungeons to talk to the teachers there." Nigellus looked at Draco sternly over the rims of his glasses. "Why aren't you with the others, young man? You oughtn't be hanging around the castle when such danger abounds!"

"I need to find Harry before he turns himself in! Please… have you seen him?"

"And who are you?" Nigellus replied imperiously.

"I'm Draco Malfoy. Please, you've got to help me!" Draco was getting desperate now. He was just about to turn heel and go elsewhere to look when Nigellus suddenly stood up and frowned down at him.

"Lucius Malfoy's son?"

"Yes, sir," Draco replied absently, as he quickly tried to regroup.

"Well, why didn't you say so?" Nigellus bowed low then. "Young Malfoy, Master of the Elder Wand!"

"The… the what?" Draco was suddenly brought out of his reverie. "What are you talking about?"

"Ah, yes, your father and the headmaster were just discussing you. You are Master of the Elder Wand, the most powerful wand in history." Nigellus was now regarding Draco with some awe.

Draco pulled his wand out and frowned. "But this is just my usual wand. I don't know anything about any Elder Wand"

"True enough, young man. The Dark Lord has the Elder Wand. He stole it out of Dumbledore's tomb." Draco was staring at him, eyes wide at this news. "But the wand won't work for him, because you, young man, are its Master."

"But… but, how…?" Draco was confused. It didn't make sense. How could he be the Master of such a powerful wand—a wand he had never even seen, let alone touched.

"That night on the Astronomy Tower, when you disarmed Professor Dumbledore, you became Master of the Elder Wand." Nigellus replied smugly. "Oh, yes, Lucius was _quite_ pleased with that little revelation, I can assure you."

Draco was finding it all too much to take in. He rubbed his brow feverishly, trying to make sense of it all. Suddenly he remembered the purpose of his visit. "Look, it doesn't matter! I just need to find Harry. ___Please_! Can you tell me ___anything_?"

"I'm sorry, Master Draco, but Harry Potter has not been here since you all left together." He settled back in his chair then. "But let me tell you more about the Elder Wand." He peered over his spectacles again as he prepared to launch into a long explanation of the properties of the Elder Wand and what it could do. But Draco, who had no time for such trivialities, was already pacing the floor again, trying to think of where he should look next. He stopped when he reached the window and leaned out slightly to breathe in the cool night air. Closing his eyes and breathing deeply, he called on all his inner strength to calm himself. He needed to think rationally.

After several moments, when he was beginning to feel calmer, he opened his eyes and gazed out of the window, which overlooked the Forbidden Forest. He nearly choked when he saw a lone dark figure moving slowly but stealthily across the grass towards the Forest's edge. _Harry!_ It had to be him. Draco blanched but didn't give himself time to think before turning and racing for the door.

OoOoOoOoOoooOooOooo

It didn't take long for Harry to reach the edge of the Forbidden Forest. He knew this was where he should go. He could feel Voldemort drawing him towards where they all waited, deep in the Forest. Though his scar was not hurting this time, he could see the fire in the middle of the clearing, the Death Eaters milling about and Nagini floating, still in her magical cage. They were waiting. They knew he would come.

When he reached the edge of the Forest, Harry stopped. This was it. This was his last goodbye. He wished with all his heart that he'd had time to say goodbye to his friends, to Draco especially. How typical of his life, he thought, to finally find love only to have it snatched away yet again. At least this time it would be he who would fall, though, and he felt some small consolation at that. He didn't think he would cope at all if their roles had been reversed. No, better that it was he, Harry, who was walking to his death. Draco deserved to live.

He wondered again if the Killing Curse would hurt, what it would feel like to die, and began to tremble. It took him several moments to gather himself together, but eventually he pulled himself up straight, took a calming breath, and began to walk into the Forest. It was quiet here but for the rustle of leaves and the occasional sounds of Forest life close by. As he walked further and further into the Forest however, he began to feel frightened, the terror steeling over him slowly, but inexorably.

When he was well into the Forest he suddenly came across a small clearing, and knew it would not be much further to his ultimate destination. Coming to a halt, he reached inside his robe to pull out the leather pouch that still hung around his neck. Drawing out the old Snitch, he looked at it carefully, tears pricking at the backs of his eyes. Lifting the Snitch to his lips, he whispered softly against it. "I am about to die." (1)

The Snitch fluttered its wings gently for a few moments, before falling open to reveal the two halves of the Resurrection Stone, the very stone that had once graced the ring Dumbledore had found in the Gaunt cottage. Carefully placing the Snitch back in the leather pouch, he took one half of the stone in each hand.

He knew it would be okay. It's not as if he were summoning them for his own purposes, or because he really wanted them alive. He was about to join them and he needed their reassurance. It wasn't much to ask, he thought.

Clasping the stones tight in his palms, Harry drew in another deep breath and imagined them there with him. He began to walk forwards again and soon they began to appear, first his mother and father, then Sirius, then Dumbledore…. He stopped and looked at his mother with tears in his eyes.

She moved towards him, extending her hand to his face. "Harry, you don't have to do this," she said softly.

"But the Prophecy…." He looked at Lilly sadly, as he remembered Dumbledore's confession to Snape. "I have to do it. For the others."

James stepped forward then. "Harry, my son, you are so brave… so willing to sacrifice yourself. I am so proud of the young man you've come to be." Harry looked at his father and his chest welled with love. "But Harry, you're young," he continued. "And there will always be Dark wizards. You can't be responsible for all of them." James reached out and cupped Harry's cheek and, though Harry couldn't feel it, he nuzzled into it just the same.

"But Dumbledore said…." Harry looked over to Dumbledore, who was standing apart from the others, his face ashen.

"Harry, I haven't always acted in your best interests." He looked up at Harry, his eyes welling up with silent tears. "I shouldn't have manipulated you the way I did. I should have cared more for your welfare." Dumbledore shook his head wretchedly. "Forget the Prophecy, Harry. Live your life. The others will find a way to rid our world of Voldemort."

The words sent Harry reeling. He didn't understand—this was his entire purpose in life, his goal. It was what defined his entire existence. And now? They were asking him to walk away, to abandon his duty. He knew it was because they loved him so dearly and didn't want him to suffer, and at that moment he knew what love really was all about. It was unconditional acceptance and caring, a recognition of faults and flaws, but also a celebration of all that is alive and living life well. This was love, this was life. Harry's heart was brimming over with the emotion he felt at that moment—suddenly, everything he had been told he was and had to be seemed to diminish, to shrivel in the face of this new found acceptance and unconditional love. He was home. It was more than he could ever have asked for.

And it gave him the courage to continue on in his quest. He looked lovingly at his parents, at Sirius and his old headmaster, one last time, and knew that he would soon be joining them. Shaking his head at their entreaties, he whispered. "I have to do it." He walked on a step or two and then turned. "I'll be with you all soon."

Turning away then, he let his fingers fall open and the two halves of the Resurrection Stone dropped to the Forest floor. He was alone again, but he felt peaceful. Sighing gently he moved forward towards the light ahead. There was the clearing and the campfire, the Death Eaters, some in their masks. He breathed deeply and moved out of the trees and into the clearing, the campfire reflecting off his glasses, flashing gold across the clearing.

Several Death Eaters looked up and gasped. Voldemort turned and regarded him coolly. "Well, well, Mister Potter, it seems you do live up to your Gryffindor reputation, after all." Voldemort moved forward slightly and tilted his head as he looked Harry over. "Such a spindly boy. Not really hero material, are you?" He smirked then and Harry thought eh was the ugliest being he'd ever had the misfortune to lay eyes on. He remained silent, though, and calm.

"So, you do not wish to challenge me?" Voldemort drew his wand out and stroked it thoughtfully. "I think I like this new Harry Potter," he said as he raised his wand and pointed it directly at Harry, a sneer moving across his face. A moment of tension, then a flick of the wrist, and a green light was issuing from Voldemort's wand.

"_Avada Kedavra_!"


	16. Chapter 16: The Final Sacrifice

Chapter 16: The Final Sacrifice

**A/N: Oh, the angst! I need lots and lots of hugs after writing this chapter. Please send as many as possible by owl. Group hugs also welcome. sobs into hanky**

**Chapter 16: The Final Sacrifice**

Draco's breath was coming in short rasps as he flew through the Forbidden Forest in pursuit of Harry. He knew he didn't have much time and his heart pounded with the effort it took to push every muscle in his body to its limit. His hamstrings were screaming at him to stop and the stitch that had developed as he crossed the Forest edge was like a knife in his side, but he didn't dare pause, not even for a moment. He only hoped that he would make it in time to stop Harry from confronting the Dark Lord.

As he ran, Draco's thoughts were a muddle of images and words, swirling round and round, each seemingly more poignant than the next. Harry in the dungeons at Malfoy Manor, his expression wary, not sure whether Draco could be trusted; Harry outside the Manor walls, those deep emerald pools gazing intensely into Draco's eyes as if they could see into his very soul; Harry in his bed at the summer cottage, his hands tentatively exploring Draco with a tenderness he had only ever imagined; Harry holding him as if he were the most treasured being in the entire universe.

His muscles ached almost beyond endurance, but his heart ached more—if he didn't get to Harry in time, he knew it would shatter into a million infinitesimal pieces, leaving him little more than an empty shell. Losing Harry would be like submitting to a Dementor's kiss—his very heart and soul would be sucked out of him, gone forever. And he would welcome it, because there was no way on this earth that he could live without Harry. No way. Tears pricked the back of his eyes as he struggled on through the undergrowth in what he hoped was the right direction. He had seen where Harry had entered the Forest and now had to rely on his own instincts to guide him to the boy he loved.

So long as Harry lived, nothing else mattered. Damn the Prophecy, he thought, and damn the Horcrux! They would work out a way to rid Harry of that last piece of the Dark Lord's soul. They were wizards, after all. Whatever Dark magic had created the Horcrux in Harry, there must be some magic—whether Dark or Light—that would counter it. Draco knew he would search the universe to uncover that magic, if it meant saving Harry, if it meant that Harry would be his forever.

Finally, he saw a light up ahead and he slowed down. Warily, he crouched low and began to make his way slowly towards the clearing ahead. He could hear voices. There must be at least a dozen Death Eaters present. As he moved toward the clearing's edge, Draco could make out their masks as they glowed in the firelight. He crouched low in the bushes and scanned the clearing, trying to gauge what was happeneing. His eyes moved sharply to the left when a figure stepped out of the bushes to his right, moving slowly towards the fire. Harry!

Draco almost gasped audibly, but caught himself just in time, slapping his hand to his mouth as fear slithered through him like a deadly serpent. Glancing over to his right, he saw Voldemort turn to regard Harry, his slit-eyes blazing red with evil intent. Nagini was hovering just behind him, protected by a shield of glittering magic, but Draco only had eyes for the two in front of him, each staring the other down for what seemed like an interminable amount of time.

Drawing his wand, Draco contemplated his options. If he cursed Voldemort first, the Death Eaters could still kill Harry, and there were too many of them for him to take on alone. They would both perish. And what about Nagini? Even if Draco cast the Killing Curse, Voldemort's soul still lived on in the snake. Draco began to tremble as he realised that no matter what he did, they were both sure to die. So, he did the only thing he could.

A blast of green light flew out of the end of Voldemort's wand as he spoke the fatal words. "_Avada Kedavra_!"

"_No_!" Without even thinking, without knowing his legs were even moving, Draco flew out of the bushes and threw himself in front of Harry. The green light hit him squarely in the chest and he suddenly felt as if his entire body was alight. He was floating in that glimmering light, suspended in time and space, as if he had impaled himself upon eternity, and then he was falling into darkness, into unfathomable, endless darkness.

"Draco! No!" Harry collapsed beside the prone body at his feet, clutching him to his chest and sobbing in despair. He couldn't understand what had happened. One moment he was waiting for death, the next, his beloved Draco was being hit with the Killing Curse. _Draco… Draco, what have you done_? He sat there, rocking and keening, not able to believe that Draco was really gone. His body still felt warm, and Harry willed it to show some life, some small indication that there was still hope for him. But Draco lay still in his arms.

Suddenly, a shot of sheer anger pulsed through Harry and he turned to where Voldemort stood, sneering in silent amusement. Slowly, Harry laid Draco back on the ground and got to his feet, his tear-stained face suddenly calm and ominous.

"Well, it looks like that's one traitor who got what they deserved, eh, Harry?" Voldemort's eyes bored into him and his mouth quirked in the ugliest grimace Harry had ever seen. Several Death Eaters sniggered at the words and the anger in Harry turned into unqualified fury. He could feel the hatred bubbling up inside him, seven years of it, yearning to get to the surface, to explode in one giant display of vehement retaliation.

In one swift movement, Harry flicked his wand at Voldemort, but the curse never left his lips, for Voldemort was just one step ahead of him, the green light issuing from his wand mere milliseconds before Harry could get the words out. Gasping in shock as the light flashed around him, Harry stood for a moment, before reeling back and falling to the ground beside Draco.

Voldemort's evil laugh rang out across the clearing as Harry finally fell into blackness.

Draco opened his eyes as the second flash of green light lit the clearing and gasped in a rasping breath. He wasn't dead! He had no idea how that could be, and he looked warily around the clearing, trying to get his bearings. The scene appeared to have erupted into chaos, for there were Death Eaters running in all directions, fighting their way, it seemed, through a Dark, malevolent-looking mist. The scene was eerie and Draco blinked several times as he tried to make sense of it.

The mist was dissipating, but the Death Eaters were still running about and shouting to each other.

"The Dark Lord! What happened? Where did he go?" Avery had grabbed Nott by the front of his robes and was shaking him fiercely.

Nott pushed him away as he looked around stupidly. "I-I… I don't know! He's gone!"

Draco suddenly noticed Nagini slithering across the ground towards him, hissing menacingly. The cage was gone and it only took Draco a split second to realise that Voldemort must be dead. Swiftly, he raised his wand as the snake descended upon him.

"_Sectumsempra_!" The snake stopped in its tracks as its scaly skin ripped apart and blood spurted out over Draco and the ground. It hissed several more times and began to inch towards him once more, and Draco thought that he was finally done for. But before he could steel himself to take the final crushing blow of fangs, the snake abruptly stopped again, as glittering steel pierced through its head, dismembering it.

Draco gasped in shock as Hermione appeared above him, the bloody sword in her hand.

"Draco! Are you all right?" She leaned over and pushed his hair back to look into his eyes.

"Harry! Where's Harry?" Draco struggled to get up then, desperate to find the other boy, but his limbs were alien to him, refusing to move. As he fought to get to his feet, the melee around him erupted as more members of the Order descended upon the scene. Hermione turned then and ran towards the fire still brandishing the sword in one hand, her wand in the other.

Snape and Lucius, who had both appeared in the clearing, were duelling Death Eaters, flashes of red and green lighting the clearing as they fought Nott and Avery.

"_Stupify_!" Lucius directed the curse Nott's chest, and the Death Eater fell, his head hitting a rock with a sickening crunch. Turning back to Snape, who was still duelling Avery, Lucius flicked his wand and ropes flew out, swirling around the other Death Eater and binding him tight, causing him to topple into the dirt.

And there was his mother, flicking her wand with expert aim at Bellatrix, who was cackling maniacally as she leapt about the clearing, sending curses hither and thither at whatever she could see. Narcissa was cold as steel as she faced her sister and pointed her wand.

"Cissy? You'll never do it!" His aunt laughed wildy at Narcissa, who continued to gaze at her coldly. "Come on, little sister, show me what you've got!" she jeered, sneering brazenly. Narcissa calmly raised her wand a little further and whispered the words as she stared into those cold, evil eyes, and Bellatrix fell to the ground, dead, a shocked expression on her face.

Draco felt like he was in a dream as he looked around at the fighting Order members, who were fast overcoming the few Death Eaters who remained to fight. Fearfully, he scanned the crowd for a sign of Harry, his heart in his throat. Hermione had turned as Crabbe senior attacked, and drove the sword straight through his stomach. Draco watched in horror as blood splashed across the clearing from several directions.

"Harry!" he called, his voice trembling with fear. "Harry, where are you?" He staggered over to take cover against a tree, his legs nearly buckling with the effort. Slowly sliding down the trunk of the tree, Draco slumped in its roots and didn't bother to stifle his sobs. Harry was nowhere to be seen. _Harry_! Draco covered his face with his hands and began to sob in earnest. He didn't care how vulnerable he was, just sitting there. He didn't heed the warning cries of his compatriots to get out of sight. What did it matter, if Harry was gone? He might as well walk out into the middle of the fight and just let himself be taken. It was all worthless now, anyway. All gone. Despair surrounded him like a dead weight, dragging him down, down into the depths of hell.

"Harry…" he whispered to himself, tears falling freely down his cheeks. "Harry… Harry…"

"Shhhh… I'm here." A hand touched his arm and Draco almost jumped out of his skin in pure shock. Looking down, he saw a dismembered hand softly stroking his arm, and his breath hitched in his throat.

"Harry?" he whispered back, quite unable to believe that it really could be him. The hand squeezed in response, before dragging him backwards behind the tree. When he was safely concealed behind the huge trunk, Draco pulled at the Invisible cloth and cried in relief to find Harry there, gazing worriedly into his eyes. Draco nearly swooned with the emotion that threatened to overtake him at that point. He wanted to pinch himself to make sure it was really his Harry who was kneeling there in front of him. Instead, he reached up and gently pushed the dark hair away from those emerald eyes. He gasped when his touch revealed clear, unblemished skin, where a lightning bolt-shaped scar should have been.

Glancing around quickly to make sure they were safe, Harry pulled Draco to him, covering them both with the Invisibility Cloak, before crushing him into a warm embrace. "Oh, God, Draco… I thought you were dead!" Harry crushed his lips to Draco's then, and devoured him as if his life depended on it. Draco melted into the embrace, the weight in his chest finally giving way to relief. Harry was alive and he was here, and they were together. And he would never, ever let him go again.

A/N: The Epilogue will explain all :-)


	17. Epilogue: Seventeen Years Later

bA/N: This is for Draco Lucius Malfoy, for the awesome Harry/Draco playlist

Warning: Major Fluff Alert! I make no apologies for that. Just get out the hankies….

Epilogue: Seventeen Years Later

Platform nine and three-quarters was as crowded as ever as the students prepared to board the train for yet another year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It was a crisp, clear day and the bright autumn sun cast a serene glow over the bustle below as parents and children milled about, saying their last goodbyes. Luggage carts littered the platform, the trunks they had been carrying having already been stowed safely away inside the carriages. Hankies were already making an appearance, as misty eyes sought one last look at the children who would be gone for many weeks before being home again. Layered over this melancholy, however, was the tinkle of laughter as friends discovered friends again and the summer's events were shared with enthusiasm and not a little exaggeration.

Harry cursed to himself as he stepped through the barrier to the platform. He was late, and he had promised that this time he would be there early. Pushing his way through the throng, he looked up ahead and, spotting several flashes of red hair, quickly made his way towards the other end of the train.

"You're late." Ginny remarked redundantly as he finally stopped before the collection of Weasleys that had, over the years, become his adopted family.

"Sorry. They closed the Floo at the Ministry because of a vexatious threat and no one could get out," Harry puffed as he tried to catch his breath.

Ginny arched her eyebrow imperiously at him before turning to Hermione. "Some people never change," she retorted disdainfully.

Hermione rolled her eyes as she turned to Harry. "Teddy's still around, I think. He was waiting for you," she said as she scanned the platform for Harry's godson. 'There he is. Teddy!" She stood on her tiptoes and waved at a tall young man who appeared to be intent upon talking to a beautiful blonde-haired girl. Harry looked over to where Hermione had indicated and grinned. Teddy was certainly the ladies' man, he chuckled to himself. Then as he looked closer, his eyes widened and he nearly choked as he realised that it was Victoire Weasley who was the object of his godson's attention.

"Oh, gods, I hope Draco doesn't see that!" Harry whispered with amusement into Hermione's ear.

"Hope Draco doesn't see what?" Long, pale fingers slipped through Harry's elbow and came to rest on his forearm as Draco moved up beside them. Harry jumped a little in surprise, but turned with a smile as his partner of seventeen years circled his arm around his waist.

"Oh, er, nothing," Harry lied, looking at Draco as if butter wouldn't melt in his mouth.

"If you're talking about our godson snogging the daylights out of a certain Weasley, then you're too late." Draco smirked at Harry's attempt at an innocent expression. "Honestly, this family is getting more incestuous with every passing year!" He leaned forward and kissed Harry's cheek, before moving to speak softly into his ear, so that only Harry could hear him. "They make a beautiful couple, but if you ever breathe a word of that to anyone, I'll hex you to the Shetland Islands." Draco stood back then, and pursed his lips at Ginny, who was eyeing him with more than a little malice.

"Oh, get a room, you two." She sneered at Draco, who merely smiled beatifically as Harry's arm snaked around his waist.

"Come on, Ginny, the train's about to leave." Dean gave Harry and Draco a tortured look as he grabbed his wife by the arm and dragged her off towards the carriage out of which their three children were waving.

"Once a biatch, always a biatch." Draco sneered after them.

"Hush, Draco. Someone will hear you," Harry chastised him, albeit good-humouredly. It was still surprising to him that Ginny continued to hold a grudge after all these years. It's not as if they'd been engaged or anything when they were at Hogwarts. They'd just been kids. Then, after Voldemort's defeat seventeen years ago, it had been clear to everybody that Harry and Draco were an item. Ginny had taken it hard, and the histrionics that had followed Harry's and Draco's coming out had been spectacular indeed. Many years had passed since that day and they had all moved on, gotten married or settled down. But still Ginny seemed to harbour a lingering malevolence where Draco was concerned.

"Do you know what day this is?" Draco purred into Harry's ear, causing the hairs on his neck to stand on end.

"How could I forget?" Harry leaned into Draco and kissed him gently. "Happy anniversary."

The Hogwarts Express suddenly whistled and huffed to life beside them, causing them to spring apart and hurry towards the carriage outside which their godson had been waiting impatiently for Harry to say goodbye.

"Teddy, I'm so sorry I'm late!" Harry quickly swept him into a tight hug before standing back and looking him over. "Nice Head Boy's badge, I must say. Well done!"

Teddy puffed his chest out proudly, obviously chuffed by his new role. Harry cocked his head to the side and eyed him affectionately. "Bet it goes down well with the ladies, eh?"

"Maybe one or two of them," Teddy replied noncommittally, his blush giving him away all the same. "Er, actually, just one," he added, his blush deepening.

"Yes, it was rather obvious." Draco playfully punched him lightly in the arm, before grabbing his hand and shaking it heartily. "Welcome to the wonderful world of Weasley," he smirked.

"Yes, and we couldn't be more pleased for you," Harry added. "Now, you'd better go find her before she forgets about you."

"With these good looks?" Teddy retorted cheekily and Harry grinned back at him.

Draco merely rolled his eyes. "So modest."

"Look who's talking?" Harry nudged Draco, who looked down his nose imperiously, before breaking into a grin himself. The train whistled again then, and they all hurried to the carriage door.

Several hugs and goodbyes later, Teddy was safely boarded and on his way to Hogwarts for his final year. Harry hoped fervently that his role as Head Boy would keep him out of mischief. He was a headstrong boy, too handsome for his own good and, while proud of him, Harry worried about him constantly. He frowned as he thought about his own missed seventh year and thanked the gods for the umpteenth time that this generation didn't have to live through wars and Dark Lords.

He was brought out of his reverie when Draco took his hand and he turned to find the other man regarding him with an affectionate gaze.

"Do you have to go back right now?" Draco asked hopefully.

Harry smiled and squeezed his hand. "I wish I didn't have to, but I do. We'll celebrate tonight, yeah?" He placed a soft kiss on Draco's lips before pulling away. "I've got to go. I'll see you tonight."

Draco sighed in resignation, but didn't try to stop him. "Okay, I'll see you around six?"

"Earlier, if I can make it," Harry replied, before Apparating away.

--

Draco was nervous as he laid out the table for dinner. He wanted everything to be just so before Harry got home, and he was running behind schedule. After they'd left Platform nine and three-quarters, he'd spent all afternoon shopping for the occasion, and it was well after four when he had finally made it back to their apartment, his arms laden with parcels. He hoped that Harry would enjoy the special meal he had prepared and the vintage bottle of Cabernet Shiraz, which he had already opened so it would have time to breathe. Stepping back from the table to admire his handiwork, he frowned when he realised that it was already after six. Harry should have been home by now.

Harry's job in the Department of Mysteries at the Ministry of Magic had kept him really busy lately and he often worked back late, doing who knows what. But tonight was their anniversary and it was very unlike Harry to be late for such a special occasion. Checking the table one last time, he glanced up at the clock and frowned. The Beef Wellington that was currently baking in the oven would be ruined if Harry didn't come home soon. Moving back to the kitchen to put the finishing touches to the Chocolate Truffle Torte he had ordered for dessert, Draco was taken by surprise to see Harry leaning against the doorframe, eyeing him fondly.

"Oh, you're home! Thank God! My Beef Wellington is saved." Draco wrapped his arms around Harry and kissed him deeply. After long minutes Harry drew back and cupped his partner's face.

"How about we skip dinner and head straight for the, er, other celebration?" Harry replied, waggling his eyebrows.

"Now, you know I have no stamina if I don't eat." Draco smirked at him. "Besides, the meal will be ruined if we don't eat it in exactly ten point five minutes." Moving past Harry, he stroked his cheek affectionately before disappearing into the kitchen. "Why don't you wash up," he called over his shoulder as he went. "Dinner won't be long."

"Okay, but after dinner I have a surprise for you." Draco spun on his heels, but Harry had already disappeared into their bedroom.

The dinner was perfect, and Harry praised Draco's culinary skills almost to the point of embarrassment. When they'd first moved in together, Draco couldn't cook at all, having always had house-elves to do that for him, both at school and at the Manor. But, after some initial awkwardness when Harry refused to have house-elves in their flat, Draco had thrown himself into the task of learning how to cook, and had become something of a chef.

"That was delicious. Thanks." Harry pushed his desert plate aside and reached across the table to lay his hand on Draco's. As Draco looked across the table at his spouse, his heart welled with emotion. Though they had been together for seventeen years, and bonded for ten, he still marvelled at how those deep green eyes could bore into him as if they were looking into his very soul. "And now it's my turn. I have a surprise," Harry added as he got up from the table, pulling Draco with him. Draco resisted for a moment, looking at the dirty plates on the table, but then relented and followed Harry into the living room. This was their ten-year bonding anniversary. The dishes could wait.

When Harry had ensured that Draco was comfortably ensconced in the overstuffed couch, he bent over and kissed him gently on the tip of his nose. "Wait here. I'll be right back." Draco smiled at him and settled back into the pillows expectantly. Harry had always been a thoughtful gift-giver, always managing to surprise Draco with the perfect gift—whether a trip to Paris, a specially-commissioned portrait of his parents, or a platinum wedding band—and he had no doubt whatsoever that this time would be no different.

When Harry returned, he had a shy look on his face. Sitting himself awkwardly next to Draco, he pulled a rectangular box out of his pocket. "I hope you like it. I wanted to give you something special for our ten-year anniversary and this seemed appropriate." The box was made of mahogany and every surface was carved intricately with ancient runes. The wood glowed in the lamplight as if it hid ancient mysteries and Draco took it reverently, holding it in both hands so he could admire the detail of the carving.

Closer inspection revealed an inscription on the edge of the lid, carved out in old English script. "_Sapere Aude.__"_ Draco spoke the words softly, as if savouring their impact. He looked at Harry with some confusion, then. "What does it mean?"

Harry looked into his eyes and gently pushed a stray lock of blond hair from his brow. "It means 'dare to know'," he replied. "Open the box." Draco opened it carefully and saw another inscription inside the lid in even more convoluted script. Raising it to the light, he could just make out what it said.

Enlightenment is man's emergence from his self-imposed immaturity. Immaturity is the inability to use one's understanding without guidance from another. This immaturity is self-imposed when its cause lies not in lack of understanding, but in lack of resolve and courage to use it without guidance from another. Sapere Aude! "Have courage to use your own understanding!"--that is the motto of enlightenment._(1)_

The words echoed in Draco's head with a resonance that seemed to take him back in time. Seventeen years back in time, to a Dark place and a Dark time—a time when the wizarding world was being held hostage by one man. That man had endeavoured with all his might to impose his world-view on others, to crush those who dissented, and to take those who served and mold them to his wishes. But that man had been thwarted. Draco furrowed his brow in confusion.

"I don't understand…." He looked at Harry with searching eyes. "Is this about… him?"

Harry reached out and laid his hand on Draco's arm. "Look under the cloth," he said encouragingly, indicating the soft velvet, ruby-red cloth covering the contents of the box.

Draco lifted the cloth carefully and gasped when he saw what was underneath. It was a wand, but not just any wand. This wand glowed with a mellow, golden light, as if it held the secrets of the universe. "The Elder Wand…" Draco whispered in awe.

"Yes. The Elder Wand," Harry whispered back as Draco carefully lifted the glowing piece of wood out of its resting place. "And you are its Master."

Draco looked up quickly, frowning. "Harry, we don't know that for sure."

"Oh, yes we do." Harry suddenly looked serious. "Dumbledore told me."

"You mean, you've been to Hogwarts?" Draco stared at Harry incredulously. Harry had refused to step foot inside his old school ever since the day Voldemort had been defeated. Even more tellingly, he had refused to even countenance the thought of confronting Dumbledore's portrait about what had happened that day. Harry had felt that his old headmaster had betrayed him on several levels, and the fact that he'd almost lost Draco had seemed reason enough to put that entire part of his life behind him. He had refused to even talk about it, even to his spouse.

Harry looked at him searchingly, his eyes guarded, but somehow vulnerable. "It was time," was all he said in response.

"Oh, love, I'm so proud of you." Draco reached forward and pulled Harry's face to his, kissing him gently on the lips. "Tell me," he added, stroking Harry's cheek, which was now quivering with emotion.

Steeling himself, Harry leaned back into Draco's arms and fingered the glowing wood of the wand that lay in Draco's hand. "Dumbledore was Master of the Elder Wand—that we knew…." Draco nodded his assent, and Harry continued. "When you disarmed Dumbledore that night on the Astronomy Tower, you became its Master." Draco gasped as he tried to remember what had happened that night so many, many years ago. "So, when Voldemort cast the Killing Curse on you, it failed. The Elder Wand cannot harm its own Master."

Draco nodded in understanding, but still looked confused. "That makes sense, but why didn't you die? He cast the Killing Curse on you, too, and you lived—again."

"Remember when Voldemort tried to kill me as a baby?" Draco nodded. "Remember how my mother's love sacrifice protected me from the curse? Well, it was the same thing. You threw yourself in front of the curse to save me and your sacrifice activated the same ancient magic that my mother's did." Harry reached forward and wrapped his hands around Draco's neck. "Your love saved me, Draco. _You_ were the power of which the Dark Lord knew not. You saved me with the power of your love."

Tears pricked at the backs of Draco's eyes as he remembered that awful scene in the Forbidden Forest when he had thought that the love of his life had been taken. He had lived with that nightmare for seventeen years, never knowing what it was that had spared them from that eternal sentence.

"But, what happened to Voldemort?" He felt dazed by these amazing revelations as he looked into Harry's eyes.

"Well, just like when I was a baby, the ancient love magic rebounded on him and destroyed him. Only this time, he had no way to come back because all the Horcruxes were destroyed." Harry was willing Draco to understand and, although Draco still felt that the whole episode held some unreal quality, he could fell the inkling of closure pricking at his mind. They had defeated Voldemort—the Chosen One and the traitorous ex-Death Eater's son had been victorious, and they had done it through love.

Draco looked up suddenly, his pride in his spouse showing clearly on his face. "Harry, I'm so proud of you for facing this, for going to see Dumbledore, for daring to know." Leaning forward, he captured Harry's face in his and began to place chaste kisses all over his face. "And for bringing back the Elder Wand. Though I have no idea what to do with it."

"You don't have to do anything with it, love. It's just a reminder that we need always to think for ourselves, to follow our hearts, and to refuse to give in to the unreasonable demands of others, no matter how persuasive they seem." Harry pushed himself up off the couch and reached out his hand. "Come on, love. Let's go to bed."

Draco looked up and smiled, then rose himself. "Yes, let's."

Fin

--

A/N: Immanuel Kant, a href"www.english./mgamer/Etexts/kant.html"What is Enlightenment?/a (1784) Konigsburg, Germany.


End file.
